“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
HOMESTEAD.COM
| ANDERSON | 102 | INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 64 | |
| AVON | 68 | FRANKLIN CENTRAL | 43 | |
| BARR-REEVE | 51 | SOUTH KNOX | 41 | |
| BEECH GROVE | 52 | MONROVIA | 41 | |
| BELLMONT | 60 | DEKALB | 54 | |
| BEN DAVIS | 67 | LAWRENCE NORTH | 64 | |
| BENTON CENTRAL | 69 | TRI-COUNTY | 51 | |
| BETHANY CHRISTIAN | 49 | LAKEWOOD PARK | 45 | |
| BLACKFORD | 66 | OAK HILL | 40 | |
| BLUFFTON | 41 | NORTHFIELD | 31 | |
| BOONE GROVE | 76 | RENSSELAER CENTRAL | 63 | |
| BOONVILLE | 51 | MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) | 46 | |
| BORDEN | 58 | EDMONSON COUNTY (KY.) | 56 | |
| BREMEN | 54 | KNOX | 36 | |
| BROWNSBURG | 48 | NOBLESVILLE | 45 | |
| BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL | 77 | BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE | 44 | |
| CARROLL (FLORA) | 67 | SHERIDAN | 58 | |
| CASTON | 57 | NORTH JUDSON | 54 | |
| CENTERVILLE | 72 | FRANKLIN COUNTY | 49 | |
| CENTRAL NOBLE | 54 | LAKELAND | 47 | |
| CHARLESTOWN | 73 | FLOYD CENTRAL | 53 | |
| CHESTERTON | 44 | PORTAGE | 42 | |
| CHRISTEL HOUSE | 67 | LEBANON | 56 | |
| CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 74 | WEST WASHINGTON | 40 | |
| CHURUBUSCO | 71 | HAMILTON | 34 | |
| CLAY CITY | 77 | NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) | 41 | |
| CLINTON PRAIRIE | 72 | ROSSVILLE | 42 | |
| COLUMBIA CITY | 66 | LEO | 61 | |
| COLUMBUS NORTH | 54 | BLOOMINGTON SOUTH | 51 | |
| CORYDON CENTRAL | 65 | EASTERN (PEKIN) | 43 | |
| COVINGTON | 56 | SEEGER | 50 | |
| COWAN | 52 | RANDOLPH SOUTHERN | 51 | |
| CROWN POINT | 63 | VALPARAISO | 47 | |
| DALEVILLE | 72 | UNION CITY | 59 | |
| DELPHI | 75 | WESTERN BOONE | 74 | |
| DELTA | 58 | NEW CASTLE | 46 | |
| EASTBROOK | 72 | WES-DEL | 46 | |
| EASTERN (GREENTOWN) | 79 | CLINTON CENTRAL | 67 | |
| EVANSVILLE MATER DEI | 65 | EVANSVILLE BOSSE | 59 | |
| EVANSVILLE NORTH | 56 | EVANSVILLE CENTRAL | 39 | |
| EVANSVILLE REITZ | 61 | EVANSVILLE HARRISON | 54 | |
| FAIRFIELD | 46 | FREMONT | 34 | |
| FISHERS | 88 | CENTER GROVE | 35 | |
| FORT WAYNE NORTH | 68 | FORT WAYNE DWENGER | 44 | |
| FORT WAYNE NORTHROP | 48 | CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) | 42 | |
| FORT WAYNE SNIDER | 59 | FORT WAYNE LUERS | 56 | |
| FORT WAYNE WAYNE | 87 | FORT WAYNE SOUTH | 52 | |
| FRANKLIN | 51 | PERRY MERIDIAN | 30 | |
| FRANKTON | 49 | MISSISSINEWA | 47 | OT |
| FRONTIER | 63 | NORTH NEWTON | 21 | |
| GARRETT | 83 | EASTSIDE | 34 | |
| GARY 21ST CENTURY | 85 | HEBRON | 50 | |
| GARY WEST | 58 | MUNSTER | 57 | |
| GIBSON SOUTHERN | 67 | TECUMSEH | 53 | |
| GOSHEN | 58 | WAWASEE | 34 | |
| GREENSBURG | 59 | CONNERSVILLE | 42 | |
| GUERIN CATHOLIC | 82 | DANVILLE | 52 | |
| HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN | 60 | CARMEL | 49 | |
| HANOVER CENTRAL | 58 | LOWELL | 55 | |
| HAUSER | 75 | JAC-CEN-DEL | 36 | |
| HERITAGE HILLS | 58 | FOREST PARK | 42 | |
| HERITAGE | 64 | JAY COUNTY | 63 | |
| HOMESTEAD | 54 | FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA | 30 | |
| HUNTINGTON NORTH | 60 | NORWELL | 52 | |
| INDIAN CREEK | 87 | SPEEDWAY | 48 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS RITTER | 58 | TRITON CENTRAL | 52 | |
| JASPER | 57 | CASTLE | 55 | |
| JENNINGS COUNTY | 80 | COLUMBUS EAST | 71 | |
| KANKAKEE VALLEY | 77 | CALUMET | 46 | |
| KOKOMO | 96 | RICHMOND | 90 | |
| KOUTS | 63 | MORGAN TWP. | 39 | |
| LAPORTE | 62 | MERRILLVILLE | 55 | |
| LAVILLE | 70 | JOHN GLENN | 23 | |
| LAFAYETTE JEFF | 80 | INDIANAPOLIS TECH | 57 | |
| LAKELAND CHRISTIAN | 54 | CAREER ACADEMY | 50 | |
| LANESVILLE | 53 | NEW WASHINGTON | 45 | |
| LAPEL | 62 | SHENANDOAH | 37 | |
| LAWRENCE CENTRAL | 79 | GREENFIELD-CENTRAL | 70 | |
| LEWIS CASS | 53 | FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY | 51 | |
| MADISON-GRANT | 70 | ALEXANDRIA | 65 | |
| MANCHESTER | 71 | PERU | 53 | |
| MARQUETTE CATHOLIC | 52 | RIVER FOREST | 47 | |
| MICHIGAN CITY | 65 | LAKE CENTRAL | 58 | |
| MITCHELL | 58 | LOOGOOTEE | 56 | 2OT |
| MOORESVILLE | 74 | MARTINSVILLE | 73 | |
| MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) | 73 | MARION | 56 | |
| NEW ALBANY | 48 | PROVIDENCE | 46 | OT |
| NEW HAVEN | 86 | EAST NOBLE | 73 | |
| NEW PALESTINE | 63 | SHELBYVILLE | 42 | |
| NORTH DAVIESS | 53 | NORTH KNOX | 46 | |
| NORTH DECATUR | 63 | KNIGHTSTOWN | 51 | |
| NORTH HARRISON | 55 | CRAWFORD COUNTY | 46 | |
| NORTH MONTGOMERY | 55 | FRANKFORT | 53 | |
| NORTH VERMILLION | 74 | RIVERTON PARKE | 58 | |
| NORTHWOOD | 76 | MISHAWAKA | 34 | |
| NORTHEAST DUBOIS | 38 | PERRY CENTRAL | 36 | |
| NORTHEASTERN | 55 | TRI | 45 | |
| NORTHRIDGE | 78 | CONCORD | 23 | |
| NORTHVIEW | 65 | BROWN COUNTY | 30 | |
| NORTHWESTERN | 56 | WHITKO | 44 | |
| PAOLI | 59 | ORLEANS | 46 | |
| PARKE HERITAGE | 78 | FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 27 | |
| PENN | 69 | SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON | 54 | |
| PHALEN ACADEMY | 81 | CASCADE | 75 | OT |
| PIKE | 81 | NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) | 63 | |
| PIONEER | 50 | CULVER | 44 | |
| PLAINFIELD | 65 | GREENWOOD | 64 | |
| PRINCETON | 70 | SOUTH SPENCER | 37 | |
| PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY | 65 | UNION (MODOC) | 34 | |
| ROCHESTER | 62 | WABASH | 44 | |
| SALEM | 62 | CLARKSVILLE | 38 | |
| SILVER CREEK | 87 | SCOTTSBURG | 36 | |
| SOUTH BEND ADAMS | 60 | NEW PRAIRIE | 40 | |
| SOUTH BEND RILEY | 76 | ELKHART | 41 | |
| SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH | 57 | MISHAWAKA MARIAN | 54 | |
| SOUTH RIPLEY | 71 | SOUTH DEARBORN | 61 | |
| SOUTH VERMILLION | 64 | ATTICA | 53 | |
| SOUTHMONT | 52 | MCCUTCHEON | 51 | |
| SOUTHRIDGE | 55 | NORTH POSEY | 46 | |
| SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | 68 | RISING SUN | 34 | |
| SOUTHWOOD | 78 | MACONAQUAH | 75 | OT |
| SWITZERLAND COUNTY | 64 | SHAWE MEMORIAL | 37 | |
| TAYLOR | 46 | TRI-CENTRAL | 41 | |
| TELL CITY | 59 | PIKE CENTRAL | 57 | |
| TERRE HAUTE NORTH | 65 | BLOOMINGTON NORTH | 57 | |
| TERRE HAUTE SOUTH | 56 | WEST VIGO | 38 | |
| TIPPECANOE VALLEY | 38 | JIMTOWN | 35 | OT |
| TRI-WEST | 73 | CRAWFORDSVILLE | 51 | |
| TRITON | 69 | NORTH MIAMI | 39 | |
| UNION COUNTY | 50 | OLDENBURG ACADEMY | 44 | |
| VINCENNES LINCOLN | 45 | BLOOMFIELD | 42 | |
| VINCENNES RIVET | 56 | SHOALS | 53 | |
| WALDRON | 45 | SOUTH DECATUR | 29 | |
| WAPAHANI | 63 | MONROE CENTRAL | 43 | |
| WARSAW | 70 | PLYMOUTH | 40 | |
| WASHINGTON TWP. | 59 | SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) | 57 | |
| WEST CENTRAL | 72 | TRI-TOWNSHIP | 33 | |
| WEST LAFAYETTE | 57 | LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC | 38 | |
| WESTFIELD | 75 | HAMILTON HEIGHTS | 57 | |
| WESTVIEW | 61 | PRAIRIE HEIGHTS | 39 | |
| WHITE RIVER VALLEY | 68 | SPRINGS VALLEY | 62 | |
| WHITELAND | 68 | DECATUR CENTRAL | 50 | |
| WINCHESTER | 49 | CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN | 38 | |
| WOOD MEMORIAL | 72 | CANNELTON | 19 | |
| WOODLAN | 66 | SOUTHERN WELLS | 22 | |
| PIONEER CONFERENCE CROSSOVER | ||||
| INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL | 61 | MUNCIE BURRIS | 60 | |
| SETON CATHOLIC | 50 | GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN | 43 | |
| ANDERSON PREP | 55 | BETHESDA CHRISTIAN | 37 | |
| UNIVERSITY | 56 | INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE | 47 | |
| LIBERTY CHRISTIAN | 50 | PARK TUDOR | 39 | |
| PUTNAM COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| NORTH PUTNAM | 49 | CLOVERDALE | 46 | |
| GREENCASTLE | 65 | SOUTH PUTNAM | 59 | |
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL-REGIONAL PAIRINGS
CLASS 4A
LAPORTE
HAMMOND CENTRAL (20-3) VS. VALPARAISO (18-7), 2 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: VALPO
WARSAW (23-1) VS. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (24-1), 5 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: WARSAW
MARION
MCCUTCHEON (23-3) VS. FORT WAYNE SNIDER (13-11), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: MCCUTCHEON
HOMESTEAD (24-2) VS. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (25-0), 7 P.M….FAVORED TO WIN: HAMILTON SE
DECATUR CENTRAL
LAWRENCE NORTH (15-8) VS. PENDLETON HEIGHTS (19-6), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: LAWRENCE NORTH
PIKE (18-6) VS. FRANKLIN CENTRAL (18-9), 4 P.M……FAVORED TO WIN: PIKE
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (22-2) VS. EAST CENTRAL (12-11), 7 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
BOONVILLE
FLOYD CENTRAL (23-4) VS. GIBSON SOUTHERN (20-6)….FAVORED TO WIN FLOYD CENTRAL
CLASS 3A
JIMTOWN
COLUMBIA CITY (22-4) VS. LOWELL (16-9), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: COLUMBIA CITY
WINAMAC COMMUNITY
CULVER ACADEMY (20-5) VS. HIGHLAND (14-10), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: CULVER
BELLMONT
EAST NOBLE (16-9) VS. NORWELL (19-6), 7 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: NORWELL
WES-DEL
MACONAQUAH (16-8) VS. DELTA (17-7), 7 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: DELTA
GREENCASTLE
CATHEDRAL (17-9) VS. NORTHVIEW (20-6), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: CATHEDRAL
SOUTHMONT
RONCALLI (16-8) VS. DANVILLE (20-5), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: DANVILLE
CHARLESTOWN
GREENSBURG (24-0) VS. WASHINGTON (23-2), 7 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: GREENSBURG
BOONVILLE
CORYDON CENTRAL (20-5) VS. EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (22-4), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: EVANSVILLE CENTRAL
CLASS 2A
JIMTOWN
EASTSIDE (25-1) VS. ANDREAN (15-11), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: EASTSIDE
CASTON
WHITKO (20-4) VS. BREMEN (24-2), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: BREMAN
RENSSELAER CENTRAL (23-2) VS. ALEXANDRIA (25-1), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: RENSSELAER
LAPEL
LEWIS CASS (19-6) VS. SHERIDAN (24-1), 7 P.M….FAVORED TO WIN: SHERIDAN
GREENCASTLE
MONROVIA (19-7) VS. PARKE HERITAGE (22-4), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: PARKE HERITAGE
SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)
NORTHEASTERN (24-1) VS. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (13-12), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: NORTHEASTERN
CHARLESTOWN
LANESVILLE (20-3) VS. SOUTH KNOX (24-2), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: SOUTH KNOX
WEST WASHINGTON
NORTH POSEY (19-6) VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (21-5), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: BROWNSTOWN
CLASS A
BELLMONT
ELKHART CHRISTIAN (20-5) VS. FREMONT (20-6), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: FREMONT
WINAMAC COMMUNITY
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (21-4) VS. TRI-COUNTY (22-2), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: MARQUETTE
LAPEL
MONROE CENTRAL (20-6) VS. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (22-4), 4 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: CENTRAL CATHOLIC
WES-DEL
CARROLL (FLORA) (18-7) VS. NORTH MIAMI (15-10), 4 P.M……FAVORED TO WIN: CARROLL
SOUTHMONT
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (7-17) VS. ANDERSON PREP (17-9), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN
SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)
SOUTH DECATUR (15-11) VS. OLDENBURG ACADEMY (21-4), 1 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: OLDENBURG ACADEMY
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE
NORTHEAST DUBOIS (18-6) VS. NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (23-3), 4 P.M……FAVORED TO WIN: NORTH CENTRAL
WEST WASHINGTON
VINCENNES RIVET (15-10) VS. BORDEN (19-5), 7 P.M…..FAVORED TO WIN: BORDEN
INDIANA WRESTLING SEMI-STATE
INDIANA GIRLS SWIMMING STATE FINALS
FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2025
GATES OPEN AT 4:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM CT
6 PM ET / 5 PM CT | SWIMMING PRELIMINARIES | HEAT SHEETS | PSYCH SHEETS | PRELIM RESULTS
SATURDAY, FEB. 15, 2025
GATES OPEN AT 7:30 AM ET / 6:30 AM CT
9 AM ET / 8 AM CT | DIVING PRELIMINARIES, SEMIFINALS | DIVING ORDER
1 PM ET / 12 PM CT | CHAMPIONSHIP/CONSOLATION FINALS IN ALL SWIMMING EVENTS; DIVING FINALS | HEAT SHEETS
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
ELSEWHERE:
UCLA 72 INDIANA 68
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 73 GREEN BAY 60
KENT STATE 76 OHIO 75
MILWAUKEE 88 WRIGHT STATE 80 OT
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE BASEBALL
TOP 25
#13 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 11 FORDHAM 1
#6 NORTH CAROLINA 5 TEXAS TECH 1
#8 GEORGIA 9 QUINNIPIAC 1
#15 CLEMSON 6 #17 OKLAHOMA STATE 5
#18 MISSISSIPPI STATE 17 MANHATTAN 3
MICHIGAN 5 #2 VIRGINIA 4 (11)
#5 ARKANSAS 3 WASHINGTON STATE 2 (10)
#5 ARKANSAS 14 WASHINGTON STATE 2
#7 OREGON STATE 8 XAVIER 3
#14 WAKE FOREST 14 LONG ISLAND 2
UC IRVINE 10 #24 NEBRASKA 5
#13 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 12 FORDHAM 2
#3 LSU 14 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 0
CINCINNATI 8 #11 DUKE 3
OLE MISS 2 #21 ARIZONA 1
#6 NORTH CAROLINA 8 TEXAS TECH 3
#20 DALLAS BAPTIST 11 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 6
#4 TENNESSEE 15 HOFSTRA 0
#18 MISSISSIPPI STATE 13 MANHATTAN 1
#9 FLORIDA STATE 6 JAMES MADISON 0
#25 TROY 23 BELLARMINE 6
#14 WAKE FOREST 11 MARIST 4
#22 SANTA BARBARA 6 CAMPBELL 1
#16 VANDERBILT 4 GRAND CANYON 3
LOUISVILLE 4 #19 TEXAS 3 (10)
#23 TCU 5 SAN DIEGO 4 (10)
ELSEWHERE:
NOTRE DAME 5 N. FLORIDA 3
WASHINGTON 9 KANSAS STATE 2
KENNESAW STATE 5 RUTGERS 3
RUTGERS 3 KENNESAW STATE 1
ABILENE CHRISTIAN 10 ILLINOIS 9 (10)
PURDUE 4 STEPHEN F AUSTIN 1
PURDUE 4 STEPHEN F AUSTIN 2
PENN STATE 10 MISSOURI 0
MARYLAND 6 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 3
MICHIGAN STATE 2 WESTERN MICHIGAN 0
SOUTH FLORIDA 5 IOWA 4
MICHIGAN STATE 6 WESTERN MICHIGAN 3
UNLV 4 INDIANA 2
ARIZONA STATE 9 OHIO STATE 8
UCLA 3 CAL POLY 2
MINNESOTA 14 HOUSTON 3
LONG BEACH STATE 19 NORTHWESTERN 6
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 15 GEORGE WASHINGTON 2
TARLETON 9 BUTLER 4
BALL STATE 7 TOWSON 2
INDIANA STATE 16 WAGNER 6
LITTLE ROCK 5 EVANSVILLE 4
LITTLE ROCK 5 EVANSVILLE 1
SOUTHERN INDIANA 3 ALABAMA STATE 1
SAMFORD 4 VALPARAISO 2
SAMFORD 14 VALPARAISO 4
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
TOP 25
#22 BOSTON 9 MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY 2
#7 TEXAS A&M 9 CENTRAL FLORIDA 1
#16 VIRGINIA TECH 8 TEXAS ARLINGTON 0
SAN DIEGO STATE 4 #20 ALABAMA 1
#24 LIBERTY 6 CHARLOTTE 4
#21 OREGON 9 NORTH DAKOTA 0
#19 NEBRASKA 20 TEXAS A&M CC 1
VILLANOVA 1 #18 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 0
#14 DUKE 9 BOSTON COLLEGE 1
#6 FLORIDA STATE 9 OHIO STATE 1
#16 VIRGINIA TECH 3 NORTHWESTERN 0
#11 TEXAS TECH 7 MASSACHUSETTS 4
#3 UCLA 6 #9 OKLAHOMA STATE 4
#17 MISSISSIPPI STATE 14 N. TEXAS 5
#21 OREGON 9 WEBER STATE 1
#24 LIBERTY 7 #20 ALABAMA 6
#1 FLORIDA 5 PROVIDENCE 0
#10 ARIZONA 10 CAL STATE FULLERTON 1
#8 LSU 6 TEXAS ARLINGTON 0
#13 ARKANSAS 11 LOUISIANA MONROE 2
#2 TEXAS 13 MARYLAND 4
#17 MISSISSIPPI STATE 5 BRADLEY 3
#5 TENNESSEE 12 MCNEESE 0
#12 GEORGIA 10 MICHIGAN STATE 2
#9 OKLAHOMA STATE 6 KENTUCKY 3
EAST CAROLINA 1 #22 BOSTON UNIVERSITY 0
OHIO STATE 7 #15 MISSOURI 2
#23 STANFORD 12 UC DAVIS 1
#3 UCLA 10 CHARLOTTE 0
#1 FLORIDA 9 #14 DUKE 0
#19 NEBRASKA 10 NEW MEXICO STATE 0
#13 ARKANSAS 9 LOUISIANA TECH 1
#2 TEXAS 2 #11 TEXAS TECH 1
#8 LSU 7 NORTHWESTERN 1
#25 BAYLOR 7 HOFSTRA 0
#5 TENNESSEE 10 MCNEESE 2
#23 STANFORD 8 UC RIVERSIDE 0
ELSEWHERE:
MARIST 6 NOTRE DAME 0
COASTAL CAROLINA 8 NOTRE DAME 7
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7 PURDUE 3
ST. JOHN’S 4 PENN STATE 3
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 5 DEPAUL 2
BUTLER 4 EVANSVILLE 3
BUTLER 12 EVANSVILLE 4
USC UPSTATE 13 IU INDY 2
CANISIUS 3 IU INDY 2
MICHIGAN STATE 7 LONGWOOD 2
OMAHA 7 WISCONSIN 0
RUTGERS 9 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 3
LOUISVILLE 5 MINNESOTA 1
MARYLAND 4 MASSACHUSETTS 0
MICHIGAN 8 LONGWOOD 0
SOUTH FLORIDA 12 PENN STATE 4
INDIANA 6 ILLINOIS STATE 5
IOWA 4 E. TEXAS A&M 2
ILLINOIS 7 QUINNIPIAC 3
GRAND CANYON 9 WASHINGTON 5
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 5 DEPAUL 2
WESTERN MICHIGAN VS. PURDUE FORT WAYNE CANCELED
NBA SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NHL SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
FOOTBALL NEWS
ON THE DEFENSE: TRAVIS HUNTER TO WORK OUT AS DB AT COMBINE
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who starred at Colorado at both cornerback and wide receiver, will work out with the defensive backs at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins later this month.
Hunter’s name was among the list of 329 prospects invited to the attend the combine, which runs from Feb. 24-March 3.
As a wide receiver, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. As a cornerback, the All-American and national Player of the Year had 36 tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions in 13 games.
While Hunter, 21, has expressed an interest in playing both position in the NFL, scouts generally see him as a cornerback.
In recent mock drafts, NFL.com projects the New York Giants to select Hunter with the No. 3 overall pick, while Pro Football Focus sends him to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 2 pick.
Also among those with invited to the combine are Hunter’s college teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is expected to be drafted early in the first round.
In all, national champion Ohio State leads the way with 15 combine invitees.
Georgia and Texas tied for the second-most invitations with 14 each.
PANTHERS LS J.J. JANSEN RETURNS FOR 17TH SEASON
The Carolina Panthers re-signed long snapper J.J. Jansen to a one-year deal, bringing him back for his 17th season with the team.
The team acquired Jansen in a 2009 trade with the Packers, though he never played for Green Bay.
The 39-year-old has played a franchise-record 260 career games in Carolina, never missing a game, and also has seven playoff appearances. He was a 2013 Pro Bowl selection.
A distant second on the list is kicker John Kasay, who made 221 regular-season appearances with the Panthers (1995-2010).
BASEBALL NEWS
ICHIRO SUZUKI TO DONATE PERSONAL COLLECTION TO HALL OF FAME
Ichiro Suzuki plans to do more than just be inducted into the Hall of Fame this July. He also intends to donate his entire personal collection to the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Former National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum president Jeff Idelson announced the news while sharing a previous discussion with Suzuki on a recent “Refuse to Lose” podcast.
“It culminated with him wanting to follow in the footsteps of Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver, two players who pledged their entire collections to Cooperstown,” Idelson said. “Ichiro said, ‘I want to be the third much later in my life.’”
Idelson, 60, served as the president of the Hall of Fame from 2008-19. He returned as interim president in 2021 after Tim Mead stepped down.
Idelson and Suzuki, 51, have shared a relationship that continued past the latter’s baseball career.
Suzuki earned an astounding 99.9 percent of the vote last month to become the first Japanese-born inductee. He will enter the Hall of Fame alongside CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dave Parker and Dick Allen when he is inducted on July 27.
Suzuki batted .311 with 3,089 hits, 509 stolen bases and 10 Gold Gloves despite debuting at age 27 in 2001, when he won the American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards for the Seattle Mariners.
After 11-plus years with Seattle, Suzuki was traded to the New York Yankees in 2012 and played three years with the Miami Marlins from 2015-17 before ending his career with cameos the next two seasons for his original club.
YANKEES’ MARCUS STROMAN SAYS HE WON’T PITCH IN THE BULLPEN: ‘I’M A STARTER’
New York Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman rejected the notion of pitching out of the bullpen this season after reporting to camp on Friday in Tampa, Fla.
Stroman isn’t projected to make the Yankees’ starting rotation — and he doesn’t agree.
“I’m a starter,” Stroman said repeatedly. “I won’t pitch in the bullpen. I’m a starter. I’m a starter.”
Stroman opted against participating in workouts over the previous two days after undergoing his physical on Tuesday.
“At this stage in my career, I put a priority on getting my body ready. I don’t think there was a need for me to be here the last few days, given the climate.”
Stroman also addressed the potential of being traded away from New York.
“I’m so grounded at this point. Nothing can really faze me,” he said of the trade rumors. “I know who I am as a pitcher. I can compete at any level with any team. If I’m here, if I’m not here, my body is ready to roll. I’m ready to go out there and give 30-plus starts.”
With Stroman in mind, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked by reporters about the possibility of using a six-man rotation this season.
“Never say never. I mean, I don’t necessarily see us doing that, but we’ll see where we’re at,” Boone said.
Stroman, who will turn 34 in May, signed with the Yankees ahead of the 2024 campaign and made 29 starts among his 30 appearances in the regular season. He went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA, recording 113 strikeouts and 60 walks across 154 2/3 innings.
New York did not call on Stroman to pitch in the playoffs, when the Yankees advanced to the World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Since then, the Yankees signed free agent left-hander Max Fried, and their 2025 starting rotation appears to feature Gerrit Cole and Fried at the top, followed by Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, last year’s American League Rookie of the Year. The Yankees also traded Nestor Cortes to Milwaukee this offseason to acquire closer Devin Williams.
Stroman has a career record of 87-85 with two saves, two shutouts, a 3.72 ERA and 1,204 strikeouts in 261 appearances (252 starts) for the Toronto Blue Jays (2014-19), New York Mets (2019, 2021), Chicago Cubs (2022-23) and Yankees.
HOCKEY NEWS
STARS SIGN F SAM STEEL TO 2-YEAR, $4.2M EXTENSION
The Dallas Stars signed forward Sam Steel to a two-year, $4.2 million contract extension on Friday.
The deal with Steel, 27, starts with the 2025-26 season and runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
Steel has recorded 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 53 games this season, his second with Dallas.
“We are thrilled to extend Sam for the next two years,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “His versatility on both ends of the ice have proven to be a huge asset for our team. He is a player that we can count on to make a positive impact and do the little things that lead to wins.”
A first-round pick by Anaheim in 2016, Steel has tallied 134 points (47 goals, 87 assists) in 392 career games for the Ducks (2018-22), Minnesota Wild (2022-23) and Stars.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES/HEADLINES
INDY FUEL
FUEL FALL TO FLORIDA ON VALENTINE’S DAY
FISHERS– The Fuel hosted the Florida Everblades on Friday night for the second of three games against the first place team this weekend. Despite a late-game comeback, Indy fell to Florida, 7-3.
1ST PERIOD
At 3:26, Fuel captain Chris Cameron kicked things off with a goal assisted by Kyle Maksimovich and Colin Bilek to put Indy up 1-0.
Maksimovich took a boarding penalty about two minutes later but the Fuel killed it off.
Bennett Stockdale went to the penalty box next with a hooking call that resulted in a power play goal from Florida’s Colin Theisen.
Connor Doherty scored about thirty seconds later to give the Everblades a 2-1 lead.
As things got chippier between the two teams, Ben Brar was called for cross checking during a scuffle along the boards at 14:14. Florida killed it off.
Carson Gicewicz took a roughing penalty at 19:11 to give Indy a power play chance that would last into the second frame.
2ND PERIOD
After that penalty expired, Florida’s Dillon Hamaliuk took a high sticking penalty at 2:28 to give Indy another power play opportunity but the Everblades killed it off.
Jordan Sambrook scored for Florida at 6:33 to make it 3-1 in favor of the Everblades. Kyle Betts followed that up with a goal about 45 seconds later to make it 4-1.
At 8:52, Brar scored for the Everblades to make it 5-1.
Kale Howarth took back-to-back penalties at 17:19 and 19:44 for hooking and unsportsmanlike conduct respectively.
At the end of the second period, Florida was outshooting Indy 20-13.
3RD PERIOD
Tarun Fizer scored at 1:24 while Florida was still on the power play to put them up 6-1.
At 4:51, Chris Cameron took a tripping penalty to put Indy on the penalty kill.
Darby Llewellyn scored his third shorthanded goal of the season at 6:28 with the help of Lemos and Adam McCormick.
At 7:52, Maksimovich scored to make it 6-3. Ty Farmer and Lemos claimed assists on that goal.
Former Fuel defenseman Santino Centorame took a tripping penalty at 12:36 but Florida killed it off before Bilek took a slashing call at 14:43 to put the Fuel on the penalty kill.
Fizer scored his second goal of the night to put the Everblades up 7-3 at 18:44.
Time expired soon after and Florida took the 7-3 win while outshooting Indy 26-25.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA FALLS LATE AGAINST UCLA, 72-68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Crunch time arrived and so did Indiana frustration.
With victory within reach in the final 53 seconds Friday night, the Hoosiers couldn’t get the crucial baskets and defensive stops in a 72-68 loss to UCLA at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It was their fourth loss by five or fewer points in the last six games.
Why can’t IU (15-11 overall, 6-9 in the Big Ten) finish?
“I wish I had the answer,” coach Mike Woodson said. “You go back to the Northwestern, Maryland, Purdue, and Michigan games. They were all winnable. If you win one or two, you feel good about yourselves in close games. The fact we’ve lost them, guys are searching. I’m searching to get them over the finish line.
“I take the responsibility. It’s my job to get them over the hump.”
IU has lost eight of its last 10 games. The positives gained from Tuesday night’s upset victory at No. 11 Michigan State weren’t followed up at home.
“Any loss stings,” Woodson said. “Any time you lose, it hurts. After the Michigan State game, when we played so well, to not finish, it hurts.”
Swingman Mackenzie Mgbako had six early points, then limped to the sidelines with an injury. The Hoosiers offense wasn’t the same the rest of the half. He returned in the second half and finished with 14 points.
It wasn’t enough.
Forward Luke Goode opened the second half by scoring 10 points in less than five minutes. He finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
It wasn’t enough.
Forward Malik Reneau played the sixth-man role for the second straight game and finished with 14 points.
It, too, wasn’t enough.
The 2-3 zone defense that worked so well three days earlier at Michigan State resurfaced against UCLA (19-7, 10-5), a better 3-point-shooting team. The Bruins broke free for enough 3-pointers for IU to switch to man defense. They finished 9-for-20 beyond the arc to the Hoosiers’ 7-for-29.
“There were times when the zone didn’t help,” Woodson said. “We didn’t play it right and then got away from it. Our rotations were off. They have big-time shooters around the horn, so you’ve got to pick and choose when you’re playing teams that can shoot from the perimeter.”
IU fell behind by 13 points in the first half and by 10 points four times in the second but kept rallying.
“They are a good defensive team,” Woodson said. “They get after you. I still thought we made plays. We played so poorly in the first half, but we played Indiana basketball in the second half. We made plays. We made free throws.”
IU starting the game going inside to Oumar Ballo, who was fouled and made a pair of free throws. Three Mgbako baskets, and one from guard Anthony Leal followed for a 10-7 Hoosier lead.
With Mgbako sidelined with an injury, Indiana didn’t make a field goal for the next six minutes. UCLA capitalized for a 16-11 lead midway through the first half. Reneau countered with a pair of free throws. The Bruins countered back with a pair of 3-pointers for a 22-13 lead.
UCLA led 33-20 when guard Kanaan Carlyle, who hadn’t played since the Jan. 26 Maryland game, hit a 3-pointer. Guard Trey Galloway added a layup over 7-3 Aday Mara for a 35-25 halftime score. Mgbako led with six points in seven minutes.
Mgbako was back to start the second half and quickly hit a 3-pointer. Goode followed with a two-point basket, and then a pair of 3-pointers. IU closed within 40-36 in less than four minutes.
UCLA kept rebuilding double-digit leads. The Hoosiers kept slashing them.
Guard Myles Rice hit a 3-pointer and drove for a layup. Reneau scored inside. Goode drew a Bruin foul. Reneau scored again. IU trailed 65-61with 3:29 left, and then 67-63 with 2:33 remaining.
Goode made a pair of free throws after a UCLA technical. The Bruins twice missed the front end of one and ones. Reneau completed a three-point play. IU trailed 70-68 with 46.8 seconds left.
The Hoosiers forced a wild UCLA miss and got possession with 30 seconds left. Rice and Mgbako missed inside shots, but IU retained possession with 8.8 seconds left. Woodson called timeout to set up a final play. Mgbako missed an open 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left. UCLA got the rebound and clinched it with a pair of free throws.
“We executed, but didn’t finish,” Woodson said. “We got good looks. Mack got an offensive rebound (off Rice’s shot), a point-blank shot and missed.
“We got exactly what we were looking for — a wide-open 3. That’s a shot he normally makes, but he just didn’t make it.”
IU doesn’t play again until Sunday, Feb. 23, when it hosts Purdue. It lost 81-76 at Mackey Arena last month.
“We battled our butts off in West Lafayette,” Woodson said. “They’re playing well. We’ve had our ups and downs. We have a week to see where we are.”
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ANNUAL BARN BURNER TROPHY GAME SET FOR SATURDAY VERSUS PURDUE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana and Purdue will meet in the first of two games in the regular season on Saturday when the teams battle for the Barn Burner Trophy. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
GAME DAY INFO
Indiana (15-9, 7-6 B1G) vs. Purdue (9-15, 2-11 B1G)
Saturday, February 15, 2025 • 12 p.m. ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Ind.
Broadcast: BTN (Mike Hall, Shimmy Miller)
Radio: B97 (Austin Render)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram
Promotions: Alumni Day and Barn Burner Trophy game
ABOUT THE COACHES
Indiana Purdue
Teri Moren Katie Gearlds
Career Record: 440-238 (22nd Season) Career Record: 288-110 (12th Season)
Indiana Record: 241-108 (11th Season) Purdue Record: 60-60 (4th Season)
ABOUT THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue has won two of its last three and are coming off one of those wins over Northwestern at home on Thursday night. Fifth year guard Destini Lombard leads the way with 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Rashunda Jones adds 8.8 points and a team-high 3.4 assists per game. The Boilers are averaging 63.6 points per game and shooting 42.4 percent from the field.
SERIES HISTORY
Purdue leads 55-43
LAST MEETING
2/11/24 – W, 95-62 (Bloomington, Ind.)
NOTES
Indiana has won eight-straight Barn Burner Trophy games, dating back to the 2016-17 season. In its most recent victory last season, the Hoosiers outlasted Purdue, 74-68, behind 20 points from then senior guards Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sara Scalia.
Purdue leads the all-time Barn Burner Trophy series, 18-13, but it’s the Hoosiers who have held the edge as of late. Six of the last eight wins in the trophy series have been by double figures.
The Hoosiers will look to right the ship on Saturday as it is coming off a pair of losses to Minnesota and Michigan on the road on Sunday and Wednesday.
Senior forward Karoline Striplin highlighted the offense at Michigan, scoring a season-high 28 points. She went 12-for-19 from the floor and had seven rebounds along with three steals and a block in the effort.
In her last nine games, graduate student guard Sydney Parrish has become a consistent double-digit scoring threat for the Hoosiers. She has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine outings and in that span that started on Jan. 12 at Iowa, Parrish has averaged 13.8 points per game. She’s shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line as well.
UP NEXT
The Hoosiers remain at home when it faces No. 9/8 Ohio State on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock.
INDIANA BASEBALL
HOOSIERS FALL IN SEASON OPENER
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Even with an advantage in the hit column, the Indiana Baseball team (0-1) couldn’t overcome a tough first inning in Friday’s (Feb. 14) season opener against UNLV. The Hoosiers managed nine hits but finished just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Redshirt senior pitcher Gavin Seebold (L, 0-1) got off to a rocky start, conceding a grand slam before recording a single out. He settled in after that and finished the night with three strikeouts. He didn’t allow a hit in the ensuing three innings he pitched.
Graduate student pitcher Drew Buhr picked up where he left off in 2024, spinning four scoreless relief innings with five strikeouts. The Austin, Indiana scattered just two hits and didn’t give up a walk against the 14 batters he faced. Dating back to last year, Buhr has made five-straight appearances of at least three innings.
Junior outfielder Devin Taylor produced a multi-hit day with a pair of singles. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson made his IU debut and provided the only extra-base hit of the day – a ninth-inning double to left field. Seven of IU’s nine starters recorded a hit.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley made his first career collegiate start and recorded his first career hit. Fellow freshman, and right fielder, Hogan Denny made his first career collegiate start as well. Hanley and Denny are the sixth and seventh true freshmen to start on opening day under head coach Jeff Mercer (since 2019).
The Hoosiers left eight runners on base. They stranded the bases loaded in the fourth inning and scored just one run after the opening two batters reached based. A base running mistake cost IU a chance at a multi-run inning in the sixth. Dickerson led the ninth off with a double but IU struck out in order following that to end the game.
IU’s weekend in Arizona continues tomorrow (Sat, Feb. 15) against Xavier. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET with both sides looking for their first win of the season. Flo College will carry the broadcast and graduate student pitcher Cole Gilley will make his IU debut on the mound.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
After three-consecutive singles, UNLV’s cleanup hitter – Dean Toigo – unleashed a grand slam over the right field wall. UNLV took the lead for good before IU recorded a single out. The Rebels wouldn’t score the rest of the game.
UNLV 4, Indiana 0
Top Fourth
Tyler Cerny led the inning off with a bunt single before Jasen Oliver laced a hit down the line to put two runners on. Both runners were advanced on a Jake Stadler fly out before Joey Brenczewski drove in the first run of the season. His RBI-single put the Hoosiers on the board for the first time in 2025.
UNLV 4, Indiana 1
Bottom Sixth
Stadler led the inning off with a single. He advanced to third on a throwing error that soared into the bleachers. He eventually came around to score on an additional error. With Korbyn Dickerson on first base with a walk, UNLV tried to throw over but the ball went wide. Stadler scored but Dickerson was ultimately thrown out at third base on the same play.
UNLV 4, Indiana 2
Top Hoosier Performers
#24 Buhr, Drew
4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K
#20 Dickerson, Korbyn
2-3, 1 BB
#23 Brenczewski, Joey
1-3, 1 RBI
Notes to Know
• Indiana dropped its sixth-consecutive season opener. The Hoosiers last won on Opening Day in head coach Jeff Mercer’s first season (2019). However, IU has managed to win at least one game on the first weekend of the season in each of the last six seasons.
• Senior third baseman Josh Pyne made his fourth-straight start on Opening Day at third base. He’s the fifth IU player – since 2014 – to start four-consecutive contests on the team’s opening day. Before Pyne, former shortstop Jeremy Houston (2017-20) was the last to do it.
• IU started two true freshman position players for the third time under Mercer (2021, 2022 and 2025). First baseman Jake Hanley and right fielder Hogan Denny are the sixth and seventh true freshmen since 2019 to make the Opening Day starting lineup.
• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor recorded the 48th multi-hit game of his career. He had 17 as a freshman in 2023 and responded with 30 last season. He and redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson each had a pair of hits in Friday’s contest.
• Graduate student Drew Buhr spun four scoreless innings on Friday evening. It was the fourth time in his last 10 outings – dating back to 2024 – that he’s gone at least four innings while conceding zero runs.
Up Next
IU returns to action on Saturday evening against familiar foe, Xavier. The two sides will meet for the 35th time in program history. Saturday’s contest will have a first pitch of 7:00 p.m. ET on Flo College. The game can also be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA GOES 2-0 ON DAY TWO OF THE PUERTO VALLARTA CHALLENGE
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico ––– Indiana kept its hot streak going on day two of the Puerto Vallarta Challenge going 2-0 on Friday at the Nancy Almaraz Field.
The Hoosiers defeated Illinois State in 6-5 to start the day and followed that up with a 10-4 win over Boise State.
Indiana has won seven games in a row and now have a 7-1 record.
GAME 1: INDIANA 6, ILLINOIS STATE 5
GAME 2: INDIANA 10, BOISE STATE 4
KEY MOMENTS
• After trailing 2-0 through four innings against Illinois State, the Hoosier offense exploded for a combined six runs in the fifth and sixth frames.
• In that fifth inning sequence, Melina Wilkison and Taylor Minnick each hit for two RBI with Wilkison notching a double and Minnick a single.
• Brianna Copeland entered the game in the third inning and threw five innings with five strikeouts to finish the game for the win.
• Indiana’s offense was ignited from the start when Avery Parker homered to left center to put the Hoosiers up 2-0 in the bottom of the first.
• In the bottom of the second, Indiana exploded for seven more runs including home runs from Minnick and Sarah Stone.
• Boise State scored three runs in the top of the fifth to make it a 9-4 game.
• Melina Wilkison homered in the bottom of the sixth inning to put a bow on the game and make it 10-4.
NOTABLES
• Indiana has won seven games in a row.
• The Hoosiers scored all six of their runs against Illinois State in the fifth and sixth innings.
• Against Boise State, Three Hoosiers hit a home run: Avery Parker, Sarah Stone and Melina Wilkison.
• Jenae Berry is up to 4-0 on the season after the win over Boise State.
• Taylor Minnick went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored against Boise State.
UP NEXT
Indiana will close play in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge tomorrow with a 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT) game against BYU.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE, IOWA STATE ANNOUNCE HOME-AND-HOME SERIES BEGINNING NEXT SEASON
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two of America’s best teams, Purdue and Iowa State, have announced the start of a men’s basketball home-and-home series, beginning next season in Mackey Arena with a return trip during the 2026-27 season to Hilton Coliseum.
It will mark just the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs, and first since an 80-76 Boilermaker victory in a 2017 NCAA Tournament second-round contest in Milwaukee.
In addition to Iowa State, the Boilermakers are now scheduled to face Marquette (home), Alabama (away) and Auburn (Indianapolis) next season. The four opposing teams figure to be in the hunt for top-three seeds when the NCAA Tournament starts next month.
Iowa State is currently 19-5 overall and 9-4 in the Big 12 standings, ranking No. 7 in both the KenPom ratings and NCAA NET rankings. The Cyclones are No. 10 in this week’s Associated Press top 25 poll. Led by head coach T.J. Otzelberger, the Cyclones thrive on the defensive end, ranking 19th nationally in defensive turnover percentage and seventh in defensive efficiency. Opponents are shooting just 46.5 percent from 2-point range against Iowa State.
Purdue, meanwhile, is 19-6 overall and 11-3 in the Big Ten standings, ranking No. 8 in the KenPom standings and ninth in the NCAA NET rankings. Led by a trio of juniors in Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and National Player of the Year candidate Braden Smith, the Boilermakers boast one of America’s top offenses, ranking eighth nationally in offensive efficiency. This year’s roster features just one player, Caleb Furst, that has exhausted his eligibility after this season.
#7 PURDUE FACES #16 WISCONSIN IN SATURDAY AFTERNOON SHOWDOWN ON CBS
GAMEDAY INFORMATION — GAME 26
[7] Purdue (19-6, 11-3) vs. [16] Wisconsin (19-5, 9-4)
Saturday, February 15, 2025 | 1 p.m. ET
West Lafayette, Indiana | Mackey Arena (14,876)
TELEVISION: CBS (Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The No. 7 Purdue men’s basketball team looks to bounce back from its sixth loss of the season when Big Ten challenger and No. 16 Wisconsin visits for a key Saturday afternoon matinee. The two teams sit in the top four of the league standings entering the weekend and are looking to keep pace with league-leader Michigan as the league enters its final four weekends of regular-season action.
• The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Caleb Swanigan bobblehead at the entrances. Swanigan was the 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American who passed away in June 2022. Swanigan was also an Academic All-American in 2017, and earned his degree following his second season in the NBA. During his NBA career, Swanigan worked extensively with Portland-area youth and FoodCorps to promote healthy eating habits in schools and eliminate child hunger.
• This will mark the fifth time in the last five seasons that Purdue and Wisconsin enter the game nationally-ranked, both teams winning twice. During the Matt Painter era, both teams have been ranked in 10 previous meetings with Purdue holding a 6-4 advantage.
• Since the turn of the calendar to January, Purdue ranks No. 2 nationally in efficiency (.9728) behind Houston (.9833) via BartTorvik.com. The Boilermakers are sixth in offensive efficiency (125.7) and eighth in defensive efficiency (92.1) during that span. Through December 31, Purdue ranked 29th overall in efficiency while placing 15th in offensive efficiency and 77th in defensive efficiency.
• Through Wednesday’s games, Purdue’s seven quad-one victories are tied for the fifth most in the country (Auburn – 13; Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee – 8), while the 14 quad-one and two victories combined are the third most in the country (Auburn – 16; Alabama – 15).
• In the last four seasons, Purdue has defeated teams ranked No. 1 (Arizona), No. 2 (Alabama), No. 4 (Marquette), No. 5 (Villanova), No. 6 (Wisconsin, Tennessee, Gonzaga), No. 7 (Tennessee), No. 8 (Duke), No. 9 (Illinois), No. 12 (Illinois), No. 13 (Oregon, Illinois), No. 16 (Ohio State), No. 17 (Illinois), No. 18 (North Carolina, Gonzaga), No. 20 (Utah State), No. 21 (Michigan), No. 23 (Ole Miss), No. 24 (Ohio State) and No. 25 (Texas). Eighteen of the 23 ranked wins since the start of the 2021-22 season have come away from Mackey Arean.
• Since the insertion of Caleb Furst and C.J. Cox into the lineup 11 games ago, Purdue has averaged just 9.4 turnovers per game while forcing 14.9 (+5.50 margin). Since January 1, Purdue’s defensive turnover rate is 22.2 percent (15th). Through December, the rate was 16.8 percent (228th).
• Purdue’s offense has clicked in Big Ten play, shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field in 10 contests. Purdue leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage, steals per game and opponent turnovers per game, while ranking second in both scoring offense and defense.
• Braden Smith (3rd) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (6th) are the only teammates nationally to rank in the top 10 for the KenPom National Player of the Year race. In the KenPom POY race, only three times have teammates finished in the top six (2022 Gonzaga – Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren; 2020 Kansas – Devon Dotson, Udoka Azubuike; 2018 Villanova – Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges).
• Braden Smith is on pace to become the first player since California’s Jason Kidd (1993-94) to average 16.0 points, 8.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. The only other players to do so in NCAA history are Kidd, Terrell Lowery (Loyola Marymount; 1990-91) and Gary Payton (Oregon State; 1989-90).
• Braden Smith leads the Big Ten in assists (8.7) and steals per game (2.5). Mike Conley Jr. (OSU; 2007) is the only Big Ten player to do that.
• Braden Smith is already the only player in Big Ten history with two seasons of 400 points, 200 assists, 100 rebounds and 50 steals.
• Trey Kaufman-Renn is the only player nationally to average 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shoot at least 60 percent from the field. Only three other players in Big Ten history have done that (Zach Edey – 2024; Evan Eschmeyer – 1998; Chris Webber – 1993).
PURDUE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL SPLITS DAY ONE IN BOCA RATON
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Boilermakers (3-5) split a pair of games on the first day of the Joan Joyce Classic in Boca Raton. Purdue took a 13-3 victory over Dartmouth (0-1), while falling 7-3 to NC State (4-2).
Julia Gossett hit her first home run of the year against Dartmouth, while Moriah Polar tripled against NC State. Kyndall Bailey had four hits on the day with two RBI.
BOILER BITS (vs. Dartmouth)
Offensive Highlights:
Khloe Banks: 3-for-5, RBI, 2 R
Moriah Polar: 3-for-4, RBI, 2 R
Kyndall Bailey: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R
Ashlynn Campbell: 2-for-3, 2 RBI
Jordyn Ramos: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, R
Pitching Breakdown:
Kendall Klochack (W, 2-2): 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 13 BF
Madi Elish: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 15 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
Purdue began the scoring in the top of the first inning, and continued to put on run support throughout the game. In the first, the Boilers got aboard with a sac-fly from Kyndall Bailey which scored Khloe Banks who began the inning with a single. On an infield single to the pitcher from Jordyn Ramos, Moriah Polar scored to put the Boilers ahead 2-0.
In the top of the third, the Boilers struck again, adding three runs on two hits and an error. Bailey singled to right field, before a home run from Julia Gossett, her first of the year, brought them both around. After Sage Scarmardo reached on an error, Ramos brought her in with a sac-fly.
Dartmouth got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, after back-to-back doubles, but in the top of the fifth, Purdue earned one back due to a lead off walk from Ramos who was moved over by Reefe. A grounder from Campbell would then score Reefe from third, to put Purdue out front 6-1.
Dartmouth added two runs in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score within three, but in the top of the seventh, Purdue poured on seven runs to seal the victory. Reefe led off the inning with a double, before a walk from Meeks put two aboard. A single from Campbell scored Reefe, and a single from Banks scored Meeks. Polar and Bailey joined in on the hit parade with back-to-back singles, before a sequence of a hit by pitch, a single, and a walk led to the Boilers being ahead 12-3. Scarmardo put the cap on the inning, scoring the thirteenth run on a passed ball.
The Boilers earned a quick three outs in the bottom of the inning to take the commanding victory.
BOILER BITS (vs NC State)
Offensive Highlights:
Kyndall Bailey: 2-for-3, 2B, RBI
Moriah Polar: 1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Ashlynn Campbell: 1-for-3, R
Jordyn Ramos: 1-for-3
Julia Gossett: 1-for-3
Pitching Breakdown:
Julia Gossett (0-3): 5. IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 K, 28 BF
Kadyn Camper: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wolfpack took the lead in the top of the first on a two-run single. In the top of the second, NC State struck again, scoring two more runs on a double to right field. In the bottom of the inning, the Boilers came back within one run, on three hits. Alivia Meeks got aboard first, after beating out a dropped-third strike. Meeks advanced to second on a single from Ashlynn Campbell, before a fielder’s choice traded runners. Moriah Polar came up in the clutch with a two-out triple scoring two runs, before Kyndall Bailey’s double plated the third of the inning to bring the score to 4-3.
After back-to-back scoreless innings in the third and the fourth for both sides, the Wolfpack tacked on another three runs in the fifth and the sixth, and Purdue was unable to recover from the deficit.
UP NEXT
The Boilers will play another slate of two games tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET against NC State. After a game break, Purdue will face Dartmouth at 6:00 p.m. ET.
For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball).
PURDUE BASEBALL
QUALITY PITCHING CARRIES PURDUE TO DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP ON OPENING DAY
SUGAR LAND, Texas – Michael Vallone rolled through a 15-up, 15-down stretch in game one and Cole Van Assen gave the Boilermakers a quality start in the nightcap, leading the way as Purdue Baseball surrendered just one earned run on the day in Friday’s Opening Day doubleheader sweep of Stephen F. Austin.
The Boilermakers (2-0) won game one 4-1 and scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to take the nightcap 4-2. Purdue improved to 6-0 in season openers under head coach Greg Goff and has now won eight of its last nine openers dating back to 2017. Friday marked the first time since 2018 that the Boilers swept a doubleheader on Opening Day.
Logan Sutter registered an RBI in the eighth inning of both games, connecting for Purdue’s first home run of the season to extend the lead in game one and driving in the go-ahead run in the nightcap with a two-out RBI single. Sutter started both games at first base and made the top defensive play of the day, a diving stop behind the bag to prevent a likely one-out double with game one tied 1-1 in the seventh inning.
FRIDAY’S TOP PERFORMERS
• Michael Vallone: Win, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
• Cole Van Assen: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Logan Sutter: 3-for-7, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 3 R
• Sergio DeCello: 2-for-3, HR, HBP, R
• Ty Gill: 1-for-4, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 R
• Brandon Anderson: 2-for-7, RBI, BB, R
• Avery Cook: 2 Saves, 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, K
For the day, six Purdue pitchers teamed up to register 15 strikeouts vs. 12 hits allowed over 18 innings. They gave up just one earned run, one extra-base hit and two walks.
Carter Doorn struck out SFA’s 8-9-1 hitters in order with the bases loaded in the second inning of game one to keep it scoreless. Justin Guiliano got some big outs with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of the nightcap. He struck out SFA’s No. 3 hitter and later induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play after a hit batsman forced home the tying run.
Avery Cook closed out both victories to become the first Boilermaker since Aaron Suval in April 2023 to record two saves in one day. Cook induced a 4-6-3 double play vs. the first batter he faced.
Switch-hitting catcher Sergio DeCello recorded hits from both sides of the plate in his team debut, connecting for a towering home run to left field in his lone at-bat from the right side of the plate. He also threw out a base stealer at second base in the first inning of the day.
Saturday’s game has been moved back to 7 p.m. ET and could start an hour later depending on weather.
Game 1: Purdue 4, SFA 1
Vallone was the first man out of the bullpen for Purdue this season. He needed only 60 pitches to roll through his five consecutive 1-2-3 innings. Vallone went back to the mound to begin the top of the ninth, but the Boilermakers opted to go to Cook after an inning-opening error. Cook quickly erased that runner with the 4-6-3 double play.
Ty Gill’s leadoff double in the seventh inning led to the go-ahead run. Albert Choi followed with an RBI single to center field, his first hit as a Boilermaker. Sutter homered to open the bottom of the eighth and DeCello also went deep in the frame.
Four consecutive Purdue batters reached base safely with two outs in the fourth inning as the Boilermakers scored the tying run without the luxury of a hit. DeCello was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in Purdue’s first run of the season.
An inning after he struck out the side with the bases loaded, Doorn induced a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of the SFA cleanup man with runners on the corners and no outs. The Lumberjacks scored the first run of the day on the play, but Doorn was once again able to stay out of a big inning.
Game 2: Purdue 4, SFA 2
Van Assen surrendered hits in only two of the six innings he worked. He rolled through a trio of 1-2-3 frames, also retiring SFA’s 1-2-3 hitters in order in the top of the third after an inning-opening error. That marked the beginning of a stretch in which he retired 11 in a row.
Maclane Finley worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning in his team debut.
Gill and Choi once again teamed up for a key late-innings run. Gill was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the eighth and went first to third on Choi’s base hit up the middle. The Lumberjacks turned a line drive bunt into a double play at first base, but Sutter delivered the two-out RBI knock when he fisted a pitch over the right side of the infield. Brandon Anderson followed with a line drive into right center for an RBI single.
Purdue took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Sutter led off the frame with a base hit and scored from first base when the SFA third baseman threw the ball away down the right field line on a well-placed bunt from Anderson. Avery Moore and Anderson executed a walk-off play on the bases to bring home another run.
Van Assen has not allowed an earned nor a walk over a combined 9 2/3 innings in his two appearances at Constellation Field the last two seasons.
PURDUE WRESTLING
BOILERMAKERS TOP TERPS WITH 3 BONUS POINT WINS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Wrestling team earned a 23-14 win over Maryland on Friday night in Holloway Gymnasium.
Three Purdue wrestlers earned bonus points as the Boilermakers (10-5, 3-4 B1G) won six of the 10 matches.
The Terrapins (8-10, 3-5 B1G) entered the matchup ranked No. 27 in the InterMat rankings while the Boilers held the No. 26 spot.
Redshirt senior Matt Ramos, the consensus No. 1 wrestler in the country at 125 pounds, did what he’s done all season in starting the dual off with a fast-paced technical fall, giving Purdue a 5-0 lead.
Beating Tyler Garvin 17-1 in just 3:29, it was Ramos’ 13th tech fall of the season, tied for most in the nation by any wrestler.
Ramos added three takedowns and two four-point near-falls to his season tally. With one match left in the regular season, he has still not given up a single takedown all year.
No. 27 Greyson Clark picked up another decision victory to get back in the win column, defeating Dario Lemus 9-4 at 141 lbs.
After falling behind 3-0 early, the grappler from Wrightstown, Wisconsin, took control of his match and went on a 9-1 run, logging a takedown, a four-point near-fall and an escape.
After not having competed since Feb. 1 at Illinois, No. 7 Joey Blaze (157 lbs) returned and put on a show in his home gym.
The sophomore tied the highest score by any Boilermaker all season, winning 21-6 (4:25) over Kevin Schork.
Blaze registered a career-high seven takedowns, which is the most by any Purdue wrestler in a single match all season.
With the Old Gold & Black ahead 13-6 at the intermission, Stoney Buell picked up where the team left off with an 8-1 decision over Alex Uryniak that never felt close.
The team captain logged over four minutes of riding time along with two takedowns and an escape.
Wrestling at No. 25 in the country, 174-pounder Brody Baumann beat Branson John, 7-6, in a rematch from this season’s Tiger Style Invitational.
Similar to the first matchup between the two, which ended 11-10 in Baumann’s favor, it once again came down to the very end. The redshirt sophomore took a 7-2 lead before John fought back with an escape and a takedown of his own.
But Baumann held on for the three-point decision, putting the Terps in a 19-6 hole with three matches left.
After Maryland’s No. 11 Jaxon Smith beat Orlando Cruz via tech fall to bring the Terps within eight, No. 27 Ben Vanadia put the dual away for good at 197 pounds.
Purdue’s leader in third-period points this season, Vanadia dominated a 10-1 major decision over Jack Darrah. He recorded three takedowns and 3:59 of riding time to secure the team win, giving the Boilers their most wins in a season since 2021-22.
UP NEXT
Purdue will wrap its regular season with one final home contest next Sunday, hosting No. 5 Nebraska on Senior Night.
It will be the last chance to watch Ramos, who will leave Purdue as one of the most decorated grapplers in school history, wrestle in Holloway Gymnasium.
The dual will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET with a national broadcast available on Big Ten Network.
RESULTS
125 | #1 Matt Ramos (PUR) over Tyler Garvin (MAR) – TF 17-1 (3:29) | PUR 5-0
133 | #6 Braxton Brown (MAR) over Dustin Norris (PUR) – D 7-2 | PUR 5-3
141 | #27 Greyson Clark (PUR) over Dario Lemus (MAR) – D 9-4 | PUR 8-3
149 | #32 Kal Miller (MAR) over Isaac Ruble (PUR) – D 3-0 | PUR 8-6
157 | #7 Joey Blaze (PUR) over Kevin Schork (MAR) – TF 21-6 (4:25) | PUR 13-6
165 | Stoney Buell (PUR) over Alex Uryniak (MAR) – D 8-1 | PUR 16-6
174 | #25 Brody Baumann (PUR) over Branson John (MAR) – D 7-6 | PUR 19-6
184 | #11 Jaxon Smith (MAR) over Orlando Cruz (PUR) – TF 21-6 (4:45) | PUR 19-11
197 | #27 Ben Vanadia (PUR) over Jack Darrah (MAR) – MD 10-1 | PUR 23-11
285 | #12 Seth Nevills (MAR) over Hayden Filipovich (PUR) – D 5-3 | PUR 23-14
NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX
GAME 2 PREVIEW: MARQUETTE
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Just three days after winning the season opener against Cleveland State, the top-ranked Irish welcome Marquette to town for a non-conference noon ET matchup on Saturday, Feb. 15 inside Loftus Sports Center. The game will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Loftus Sports Center
Schedule: February 15 — Noon ET
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE MARQUETTE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 13th meeting all time between Notre Dame and Marquette.
• The Irish hold a commanding 12-0 lead in the series, including a mark of 7-0 when playing the Golden Eagles in South Bend.
• The most recent matchup in the series came last season, with Notre Dame winning 21-8 in Milwaukee.
• Chris Kavanagh (4), Jake Taylor (4) and Devon McLane (3) each had hat tricks in the 2024 win. Kavanagh also added three assists to total a seven-point performance.
FANTASTIC FEBRUARYS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH
• Notre Dame is 38-5 in its last 43 games played in February dating back to the 2006 season.
• Fighting Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan is 47-8 in the month of February during his Notre Dame tenure.
• Notre Dame won it’s opener this season on Feb. 12, defeating Cleveland State by a score of 24-6.
KAVANAGH LEADS THE ATTACK
• Chris Kavanagh picked up right where he left off to open the 2025 season, posting a career-high nine points (4G, 5A) to finish just one point shy of the program record held by his brother Pat.
• Kavanagh turned in the greatest statistical offensive season in Notre Dame history last year, setting the program record for points in a season with 81.
• The attackman totaled 44 goals and 37 assists during the 2024 season.
• Chris joined his brothers Matt (42G, 33A – 2015) and Pat (31G, 49A – 2024) as the only players in program history to record 30+ goals and assists in the same season.
• The Rockville Centre native earned NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player honors after a prolific four-game stretch in the tournament in 2024, recording 22 points off 14 goals and 8 assists.
• The attackman put an exclamation mark on his season with a 5-goal performance in the national title win over Maryland, tying the program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game.
• Kavanagh set the program record for points in an NCAA Tournament game against Georgetown in the quarterfinals, totaling eight points off five goals and three assists. The five goals tied the program record for most goals scored in an NCAA Tourney game.
• The senior has 185 points off 116 goals and 69 assists and currently ranks tied for fifth in program history.
•Kavanagh not only paced Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 but his 46 goals ranked third all-time in program history for a single season, just three behind Randy Colley’s record of 49 goals set in 1995.
• Chris finished with 10 hat tricks during the 2023 campaign and has 21 in his career.
• The Rockville Centre, New York, native has 116 career goals, ranking seventh in program history.
LYGHTS OUT
• It didn’t take long for Shawn Lyght to make a name for himself in the college lacrosse world, as he cemented himself as one of the top cover defenseman in the country during his 2024 freshman season.
• Lyght consistently drew the No. 1 option for the opposing attack throughout the season.
• The defenseman held Connor Shellenberger to just one goal between the two matchups, both resulting in wins and he limited Joey Spallina to just one point in their only matchup of the year.
• The sophomore opened the 2025 season against Cleveland State holding his main defensive assignment to zero points.
• Lyght was the only sophmore to earn first team All-America status in the Inside Lacrosse preseason honors.
DOMINATING THE DOT
• Senior FOGO Will Lynch opened his final season in South Bend by going 7-for-9 at the faceoff dot, scooping up four ground balls in an Irish win.
• Lynch is coming off his best season in his Fighting Irish career, winning 61.2 percent of his faceoff attempts to lead the ACC and rank fourth in the country.
• The FOGO won 202-of 330 attempts and scooped up a team-high 113 ground balls.
• Over the four NCAA Tournament games Lynch was even better than his season average, winning 63-of-97 (64.9%).
• Lynch added a career-high four goals last season, including one in the ACC Tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament.
• Lynch was named to the All-ACC Team and to the ACC All-Tournament Team.
• The standout won over 50 percent of faceoffs in 12-of-16 games last season.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
• Despite losing two starting defensemen and standout goalie Liam Entenmann, Notre Dame put the clamps on Cleveland State’s attack, allowing just six goals in the opener.
• The Irish finished 2024 allowing just 8.94 goals per game, leading the country, despite playing six games against opponents that ranked in the top 15 in goals scored per game.
• Notre Dame held opponents to 10 or fewer goals in 12 of 17 games during the 2024 campaign, including seven of the last eight on the way to the title.
• The Irish limited the opposition to 12 or fewer goals in 16 of 17 outings last season.
• Preseason All-Americans Ben Ramsey, Will Donovan and Shawn Lyght each return to the defensive unit.
TAYLOR MADE
• Graduate student Jake Taylor is one of the great finishers in lacrosse, totaling 106 goals in his Fighting Irish career.
• The attackman scored seven goals in the season opener to become the 11th player in program history to reach the 100-goal milestone.
• The Denver native finished the 2024 season with 41 goals on 83 shots, giving him a shooting percentage of .494 which ranked fourth in the country.
• Taylor scored one of the biggest goals in program history, sending the 2023 NCAA semifinal into overtime with a twister against Virignia in the final minute of regulation.
GREATEST SHOW ON TURF
• The Irish attack has been borderline unstoppable over the last couple of seasons, leading the country in goals per game in 2024 with an average of 15.65.
• Notre Dame led the nation in points per game (25.06) and shot percentage (.374) while ranking third in assists per game (9.41).
• The Notre Dame offense has finished with 10 or more goals scored in 23 straight games, the longest active streak in the country.
• The Irish scored 24 goals in the season opener and recorded 19 assists to total 43 points, finishing just three points shy of the program record for points in a game.
CASHING IN ON THE EMO
• The Irish went 2-for-2 against Cleveland State on Wednesday to continue its elite performance in man-up situations.
• Notre Dame’s extra-man unit was one of the greatest in the history of college lacrosse in 2024, leading the country with a mark of 67.5 percent.
• The unit found the back of the net on 27-of-40 attempts over the course of the season.
• The 67.5 percentage was the highest in a decade, as the last team to have a better percentage was Detroit Mercy’s mark of 70.8 percent during the 2014 season.
• The Irish have finished in the top five in the country for man-up offense in each of the last four seasons.
• Devon McLane and Jeffery Ricciardelli paced the Irish EMO with seven goals apiece during the 2024 campaign.
FROM THE GRIDIRON TO THE LACROSSE FIELD
• Three Notre Dame lacrosse players on the 2025 squad also suited up for the football team in the fall, as Jordan Faison, Tyler Buchner and Matt Jeffery are both dual-sport athletes.
• Faison finished the season with 30 receptions for 356 yards and a TD, including a seven-catch, 89-yard performance in the first round of the College Football Playoff win against IU.
• Buchner was used in trick plays on special teams, picking up a first down on a fake FG against GT and completing a 23-yard pass on a fake punt against USC.
• Jeffery played in three games on special teams during his freshman season, seeing the field against Purdue, Stanford and Navy.
IRISH INDOORS
• Notre Dame has excelled when playing inside the last nine seasons, going 20-1 when playing indoors since the start of the 2015 season.
• Notre Dame is currently riding a 24-game win streak when playing in Loftus Sports Center.
• The Irish haven’t lost in Loftus Sports Center since dropping a 14-11 decision to UNC on March 14, 2004.
• The Irish went 2-0 when playing indoors last season, defeating Cleveland State in the home opener in Loftus and then downing Marquette inside the Marquette Dome.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Notre Dame has racked up the recognitions prior to the start of the 2025 season.
• The Fighting Irish have four players on the Tewaaraton Watch List (Kavanagh, Lyght, Ramsey and Taylor), more than any other team in the country.
• Nine ND players earned preseason Inside Lacrosse All-America citations, the most in the nation.
• The Irish spread six players over the two USILA Preseason All-America teams, the most of any team.
• Notre Dame had five players on the Preseason All-ACC Team as voted on by the league’s coaches, the most of the five teams in the conference.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH CLIP OSPREYS FOR SEASON OPENING WIN
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Notre Dame baseball team took an early lead and closed out the game late in a 5-3 win over North Florida in the season opener on Friday night.
The Irish jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Jared Zimbardo delivered a two-out single through the left side in his first at-bat in an Irish uniform to drive in Estevan Moreno from second base. Notre Dame doubled their advantage in the top of the fourth inning with a lead-off home run from Carson Tinney. The offense kept things rolling as Zimbardo and Jayce Lee both drew walks to put a pair of runners on base. After a passed ball saw both runners advance, Connor Hincks used a deep fly ball to drive in Zimbardo with the sacrifice for the 3-0 advantage.
Jack Radel, meanwhile, retired the first nine batters he faced. Radel struck out one batter in the first and the second innings before retiring a pair to close out the third. The defense helped the sophomore right-handed pitcher get out of a jam in the fourth before a come-back grounder to Radel shut the door on the inning as the Ospreys stranded a pair of runners on base.
The Irish added to the lead in the top of the fifth. Bino Watters drew a lead-off walk, and Estevan Moreno followed suit with a walk. Carson Tinney continued to have a hot bat as the sophomore drove an RBI single up the middle to plate Watters from second. Two batters later, Jayce Lee picked up his first hit and RBI of his career for the Irish with a single as Moreno came in to score.
Ricky Reeth came on in relief in the bottom half of the inning and made quick work of the Ospreys by retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout.
North Florida plated a run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Irish defense stood strong in the top of the seventh to force the home side into stranding a pair of runners on base. The Ospreys were able to push two runs across in the eighth to make it a 5-3 game heading into the final frame. North Florida put a runner on base in the ninth, but Tobey McDonough shut the door on the inning and the game with a strikeout looking to preserve the 5-3 victory.
Carson Tinney went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI with a run scored. Jared Zimbardo was 1-for-4 with a single, an RBI, and a walk. Jayce Lee added a 1-for-2 effort at the plate with a walk and an RBI. Connor Hincks notched a hit and an RBI. DM Jefferson drew three walks and Bino Watters was walked twice on the night. Estevan Moreno added a hit and a walk while scoring two runs.
Jack Radel went four complete innings on the mound with four strikeouts and no runs with one hit surrendered. Ricky Reeth went 3.1 for the Irish and tallied five strikeouts. Tobey McDonough closed out the final 1.2 innings and struck out one while earning the first save of his career.
The Irish (1-0) are now set to face North Florida for a doubleheader on Saturday, February 15 due to inclement weather in the forecast. Game one is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET. Game two will begin approximately one hour after the completion of game one.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH OUTLASTED ON FIRST DAY OF BATTLE AT THE BEACH
CONWAY, S.C. – The Notre Dame softball team dropped the opening two games of the Battle at the Beach, hosted on the campus of Coastal Carolina. The Irish dropped the opener 6-0 to Marist before a heartbreaking 8-7 loss in extra innings to tournament host Coastal.
Notre Dame is now 3-5 on the season.
Marist Recap
Marist got off to a quick start off a two-run opposite field home run by Miah McDonald off Notre Dame starter Alexis Laudenslager.
After the Irish went 1-2-3 for the second-straight inning, Samantha Rogers hit a towering fly ball to left center field that carried up and over the fence to extend the Red Foxes lead to three.
Shannon Becker came in to relieve Laudenslager in the bottom of the second and got two straight punchouts to end the frame.
Anna Holloway got Notre Dame’s first hit of the game, a moonshot double that hit the top of the center field wall and bounced back into play. However, back-to-back groundouts stranded Holloway in scoring position.
In the bottom of the third, McDonald struck again for Marist, hitting her second homer of the day to right center to put the Red Foxes up 4-0 after three.
The Red Foxes would keep the pressure on. In the bottom of the fifth, Marist loaded the bases off two walks and a hit by pitch with two outs. Sienna Kunze ripped a full-count pitch up the middle to add on two more as Marist led 6-0 after five.
A one-out double from Rachel Allen was all the Irish would muster in the final innings.
Kiley Myers threw a gem for Marist, going seven shutout innings and allowed no free passes. The right-hander held the Irish to four hits during the game.
Coastal Carolina Recap
After a slow start for the bats in game one, head coach Kris Ganeff mixed up the lineup before game two. And it paid dividends immediately. Emily Tran drilled a triple into the right center field gap with one out while fans were still finding their seats. Two batters later, Addison Amaral roped a ball into the right field corner for her seventh RBI of the season to give the Irish an early 1-0 lead.
Coastal Carolina didn’t wait long to answer back. The Chanticleers ripped three singles off starter Micaela Kastor in the first to knot the game at one apiece.
Kaia Cortes would get it back for the Irish. The freshman first baseman clubbed a 1-1 pitch way over the right center field fence for her first career homer and to put Notre Dame back on top.
The game continued to go back and forth. The Chanticleers got a 2-run homerun to deep center to regain the lead. After a double and a pair of walks, the bases were loaded with one out.
Kastor, like she’s shown multiple times already this season, danced around traffic. The junior got a strikeout looking for the second out before getting a ground ball to third that Caroline O’Brien stepped on the bag for the force out to escape the jam.
Notre Dame countered right away. Rachel Allen hit a monster home run down the left field line to tie the game at three, her first of the year and ninth of her career.
After a 1-2-3 inning from Kastor, the Irish loaded the bases with two outs for Amaral, chasing Coastal Carolina’s starter Abby Henderson in the process. Amaral would come through, lining a single to right to drive in a pair before Allen followed with an RBI infield single to double up the Chanticleers in the fifth.
To the theme of the game, Coastal would counter. The Chanticleers put up three in the bottom of the seventh, including a 2-run single with one out to tie the game and send it to the eighth.
Playing the international tiebreaker rule, Amaral was placed on second to begin the top of the eighth. After a sac bunt to get her to third by Allen, Sydny Poeck lined a ball into left to put the Irish back on top.
Coastal, with the top of their order set to bat, was able to manufacture two runs and walkoff the Irish on a ground ball base hit back up the middle for the eighth-inning win.
Notre Dame will look to flip the page tomorrow against Towson at 9:15 a.m. and Kent State at 2:15 p.m.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY
IRISH DROP BATTLE WITH NITTANY LIONS FRIDAY
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The Irish hockey team fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions 5-3 Friday night as an empty-net tally with 68 seconds left sealed Notre Dame’s fate on the road. Despite battling back from a three-goal first period deficit, the Irish could not find the equalizer late inside Pegula Ice Arena.
Penn State thought they scored early in the contest but the shot rang off the pipe behind Owen Say in the crease and play continued in a scoreless battle.
The Irish were called for the first infraction of the night after a hit behind the net was whistled for interference at 9:52 of the opening period. The best chance of the kill came as the Irish attacked the Nittany Lions end. Cole Knuble and Michael Mastrodomenico created an odd-man rush into the zone before being joined by Justin Janicke who fired a shot just high on the Penn State net as Notre Dame successfully completed the kill halfway through the frame.
A misplayed puck in the neutral zone resulted in a three-on-goalie chance for the Nittany Lions in which they would capitalize and take the 1-0 lead with 3:59 to play in the first period.
Just 13 seconds after the opening goal, a pair of penalties went against both sides and the teams skated four-on-four for the next two minutes. With the ice open during the penalties, Penn State would convert and take the 2-0 lead.
A late penalty against the Irish gave Penn State another chance on the powerplay with under a minute to play in the opening frame. The Nittany Lions took advantage of the man-advantage with 10.7 seconds left on the clock as a skater out front tipped the puck out of the air and fired a shot into the back of the net. The Irish challenged the play for goaltender interference after Say was tripped up in the crease but after a quick review the goal was confirmed and Penn State led 3-0 through the first 20 minutes of play.
The teams opened the second stanza with four-on-four hockey after whistles in the final seconds of the previous period saw representatives from both teams head to the box.
Carter Slaggert got the Irish on the board at 5:19 of the second period to cut the deficit to two goals midway through the frame.
The Irish further cut into the Nittany Lions’ lead when a shot from Brennan Ali beat Arsenii Sergeev in the Penn State net to make it a 3-2 game nearly halfway through the contest.
Both teams managed to kill off shortened infractions after a pair of penalties off set each other in the fading minutes of the second period as the Irish continued to search for the equalizer late in the frame.
The Irish powerplay unit returned to the ice with 16.6 seconds left in the second period after a crosscheck in front of the net. However it was the Nittany Lions that would score in the final seconds of the period after a shorthanded breakaway with 3.1 seconds left on the clock to send the Irish to the locker room trailing by two goals.
Blake Biondi drew the Irish back within one with his team-leading sixth powerplay goal of the season, just 53 seconds into the final period of regulation.
With under six minutes to play in the final period, Say made a sprawling save on the goal line to keep it a one-goal game after a turnover in the Irish end. The junior netminder made a series of big similar big saves moments later before the Irish could clear the puck.
Biondi nearly had his second of the night but his shot rang off the left post to keep the score stagnant as time wound down in the third.
The Irish were finally able to hold possession long enough for Say to get to the bench as the team opted for the extra skater in the final 90 seconds but Penn State would find the empty net as a clearing attempt trickled just over the goal line to make it a 5-3 final.
GOALS
Carter Slaggert opened the scoring for the Irish Friday night after Grant Silianoff chipped a pass into the offensive end where Slaggert picked it up along the half-wall. Along the boards, Slaggert and Hunter Strand battled with a Nittany Lions defenseman where Slaggert came out with the puck before tucking a shot off the right pad of Sergeev in net for Penn State to get the Irish on the board.
The Irish top line drew the visitors within one at 8:41 of the second period when Brennan Ali’s shot from the slot beat the Nittany Lions’ netminder glove side. Jimmy Jurcev, who found Ali at center ice, was credited with the primary assist while Ian Murphy earned the second helper.
Notre Dame’s top powerplay unit capitalized on the man-advantage less than a minute into the third period to draw within one. Owen Say settled the puck behind the Irish net where he left it for Paul Fischer and Justin Janicke to formulate the rush. Janicke wrapped around the Penn State net before centering a pass to Blake Biondi who buried his team-best sixth goal on the man-advantage of the season to make it a 4-3 contest.
KEY STATS
With his first shift of the night Friday in State College, graduate forward Grant Silianoff skated in his 150th career game with the Irish.
The Irish fought back in the latter two periods Friday night after trailing by three through the first 20 minutes. Goals Friday came from Carter Slaggert, Brennan Ali and Blake Biondi.
Biondi’s third period tally came on the powerplay less than a minute into the frame. The goal was his team-leading sixth on the man-advantage this season and brings his total to 11 goals in his grad season, tied for a team-best.
UP NEXT
The two teams close out the season series with a 5pm push drop Saturday night inside Pegula Ice Arena. The game will stream on B1G+.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S LAX
PREVIEW: IRISH HOST EASTERN MICHIGAN
NOTRE DAME vs. EASTERN MICHIGAN – Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 PM
Location: South Bend, IN | Loftus Sports Center
ACCNX | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
HEADING INTO EASTERN MICHIGAN
The No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to host Eastern Michigan on Saturday at 3 PM inside of Loftus as they look
The Irish opened up last weekend 1-1 after falling 13-10 to No. 2 Northwestern on the road and defeating Central Michigan 20-7 in their home opener.
It was a weekend of several career firsts for the Irish.
In Friday’s season opener, Isabel Pithie recorded a career-high 12 saves against a high powered Northwestern offense.
The Irish offense was led by three standouts on Friday night; Kate Timarky, Kristen Shanahan, and Kathryn Morrissey. The trio each recorded a hat trick, each tying their respective career highs.
In Sunday’s home opener, Madison Rassas not only scored her first career goal in the CMU win, but led all players with five goals, the most scored by any Notre Dame freshman in a home opener. She finished the day with an impressive stat line of 5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points, 3 draw controls, 2 caused turnovers, and a ground ball.
After scoring her first career goal against Northwestern, Emma Murphy recorded her first career hat trick. Angie Conley had herself a career day as well, recording her first ever hat trick.
Kristen Shanahan played a great game on both sides of the ball as she sent home two goals and won a career high 10 draw controls.
A LOOK AHEAD
The 2025 season features 15 regular season games with eight at home and seven on the road. Nine conference games are set for this upcoming spring season after the additions of Cal and Stanford to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.
“This year’s schedule has us entering a new era of ACC lacrosse with an expanded conference and new scheduling model,” said Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Christine Halfpenny.
“The ACC will again be one of the strongest conferences in the country. We’re excited to attack the games in front of us this year both in and out of conference beginning with a great season opening regional rivalry with Northwestern.”
IRISH WELCOME 11 FRESHMEN
With a large class of 17 graduating last season, the Irish have welcomed 11 freshmen to the roster.
Five of which were included in the ILWomen’s Class of 2024 Power 100 Incoming Freshmen Rankings:
– Madison Rassas (#2)
– Katie Mallaber (#32)
– Carson Didden (#42)
– Kiki Liebezeit (Watchlist)
– Ellie McClelland (Watchlist)
THE RASSAS FAMILY IS NO STRANGER TO NOTRE DAME
Rassas isn’t just listed as one of the top players in the 2024 class in the country, but she has a chance to continue her family’s legacy at Notre Dame.
She comes from a long line of Notre Dame graduates, including both parents (Todd and Angela Rassas) as well as her grandfather and great-grandfather.
Her father, Todd, was an All-American lacrosse player at Notre Dame (‘98), while her grandfather and great-grandfather were both All-American football players for the Irish.
WATCH OUT FOR WEIGAND
Senior defender Weigand was recently named to 2025 Tewaaraton Watch list and also received USA Lacrosse Magazine Women’s Preseason All-American Honorable Mention honors.
She finished the 2024 season playing in 20 games and recorded 24 ground balls and forced 17 turnovers.
TWO NEW ADDITIONS TO THE COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Christ Halfpenny introduced two new additions to the staff in August 2024 as she welcomed Caroline Curnal and Ellie Masera to the Irish.
Curnal, a 2023 Villanova graduate, started 47 of the 54 games she played in and totaled 94 points and 17 assists for 111 points. In addition to her record 382 draws, she had 34 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers.
She helped guide the program to a 15-5 season, where they advanced all the way to the NCAA quarterfinal round in 2024. Penn ranked as high as fifth during the course of the regular season, boasted one of the strongest defensive units in the country, and saw Niki Miles break program records for draw controls in a game and a season.
Miles was one of four first-team All-Ivy and three All-Americans on the roster, and another of those All-America picks (Izzy Rohr) was the Ivy League Defender of the Year for the second straight season.
She capped off her Wildcat career as the team captain and draw specialist, breaking the program’s career draw record with 382 and the single-single season mark with 155.
She finished with 41 goals and eight assists, scoring in 14 of the 17 games, and earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST first team. That was her second appearance on the first team, as she also garnered the honor in 2022 when she also was first-team IWLCA All-Region.
Masera, a recent 2024 graduate from Stony Brook, joins the Notre Dame program as an assistant coach after an outstanding four-year career with the Seawolves and a rookie season in the professional league with Athletes Unlimited.
Masera was a decorated midfielder in her four year career at Stony Brook.
She was a 2024 Tewaaraton finalist, the second player in program history, alongside former Notre Dame attacker and all-time Irish points leader, Jackie Wolak (2020-2024).
The two-time IWLCA, USA Lacrosse Magazine, and ILWomen All-American was the third pick in the AU Pro Lax Draft in April. Masera was also named the 2023 and 2024 CAA Midfielder of the Year and the 2022 America East Midfielder of the Year.
She finished her senior season as the fifth-best goal scorer in Division I (77) and finished second in points (117), also leading the nation as a senior in shots on goal and shots on goal per game. Masera finished her college career with 232 goals, 317 points, and a program record of 388 draw controls.
THE BIG THREE
The Irish graduated 17 seniors and graduate students a season ago, including three individuals in Madison Ahern, Kasey Choma and Jackie Wolak, who spent five years with the program, shattering numerous records during their tenure.
The trio combined for 964 career points over their five years together, the most of any teammates in program history.
Since their arrival to campus in 2020, Choma, Ahern and Wolak sat atop the team leaderboard in nearly every offensive category. Ahern’s 60 goals in 2024 led the team while Choma had posted the team’s top mark the four years prior.
During her career, Wolak never surrendered her title of assists leader and posted a team-best 100+ points in both 2023 and 2024. Ahern led the team in points during 2020 and 2022 while Wolak took the top spot in 2021.
All three rank among the program’s single season goal leaders with Choma holding two spots at three and eight, Ahern holds the sixth and seventh all time spots and Wolak’s 2024 total holds the 10th place.
Wolak also holds three of the top-10 spots for single season assists while the trio combine for four of the top-10 spots in total points for a given year.
Career leaders include Choma holding the top spot for games played (85) while Ahern and Wolak sit tied for second with 84.
Choma and Ahern sit second and third respectively in all-time goals while Wolak holds the top-spot for assists (153). Ahern’s 89 career assists ranks her fourth all-time.
All three rank in the top-10 for career points: Wolak (1st; 341), Ahern (3rd; 317), Choma (5th; 306). The trio was also the first set of teammates to surpass 300 career points and are three of only five individuals in program history to hit 300+ points.
The three combine for 10 Inside Lacrosse/ILWomen All-American honors, 10 IWLCA All-Region/All-American honors, eight USA Lacrosse Magazine honors, and eight Tewaraaton watchlist candidiasis.
A 2024 Tewaaraton finalist, Wolak set the program record for career points (341) and assists (153). Her 110 points last season was also third-best in program history and set her apart from the rest as the only individual to record multiple 100+ point seasons at Notre Dame.
Her 110 points finished atop the ACC last season and ranked fourth in the country.
In two NCAA Tournament games a season ago, Wolak’s 18 points ranked among the best in the nation.
With six points in the first quarter of the team’s NCAA First Round game vs. Coastal Carolina was a program best while her nine assists through three quarters played that day also set a program best.
The trio of Ahern, Wolak, and Choma scored in nearly every contest during their five years with Wolak’s 78-game streak to end her career being a program record.
Wolak became the program’s first-ever ACC Attacker of the Year honoree when she was named the conference’s top attacker in 2024
As a freshman, Ahern earned National Rookie of the Year honors from Inside Lacrosse.
Ahern was the 2023 ACC Postgraduate scholarship award recipient.
IRISH IN THE PROS
With the start of the WLL in 2025, it didn’t take long for the Irish to get picked up.
Five Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse alums were all selected to the Boston Guard: Madison Ahern (‘24), Kasey Choma (‘24), Jackie Wolak (‘24), Hannah Dorney (‘23), and Andie Aldave (‘21).
The Boston Guards will open up their season on Feb. 12 in Springfield, VA as they take on the California Palms.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BUTLER TO PLAY ST. JOHN’S AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
Butler and St. John’s will play inside Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. The 5:30 p.m. contest is part two of a doubleheader that will follow the St. John’s men’s team hosting Creighton at 3 p.m. This will be the first time the BU women’s program has ever played at the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”
GameDay
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Time: 5:30 PM ET
Location: New York, N.Y. – Madison Square Garden
Live Stats: RedStormSports.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: FloHoops.com
Bulldog Bits
– Sunday’s game will be the only meeting between Butler and St. John’s this season.
– The contest is also Butler’s first time playing at Madison Square Garden.
– Butler swept Georgetown in the regular season series, winning by 10 at home and by six in D.C.
– The victory on Wednesday doubled as Butler’s first BIG EAST road win of the season.
– Butler’s 76-point performance at McDonough was their highest scoring BIG EAST game of the season.
– BU shot 57.4 percent against the Hoyas, their best shooting display of the year.
– The ‘Dawgs shot 50 percent from 3-point range at GU, their second-best effort from deep this year.
– Butler has reached 20 assists as a team in two of their last three games.
– The ‘Dawgs have made 42 3-pointers over their last four games, shooting 45 percent during that stretch.
– Six more 3-pointers on Sunday vs. St. John’s will push Butler’s team total to 200.
– McGuff has made 17 3-pointers over her last four games, shooting 56 percent during that stretch.
– Butler has opened their last two games on an 8-0 scoring run.
– Kilyn McGuff was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.
– McGuff and Riley Makalusky each recorded 16 points in the win at Georgetown.
– Makalusky tied her season-high scoring total and led Butler from distance going 4-for-5.
– Sydney Jaynes set season-high totals at GU in points (18) and made field goals (8).
– Jaynes scored 12 of Butler’s 20 points in the third quarter against Georgetown.
– Jaynes has led BU in scoring five times this year.
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 14-0, 23-3
Creighton 12-1, 20-4
Seton Hall 9-4, 17-7
Marquette 8-5, 16-8
Villanova 8-5, 14-11
DePaul 7-7, 12-15
Butler 4-10, 14-13
Georgetown 4-9, 11-13
Providence 4-10, 11-16
St. John’s 3-10, 13-11
Xavier 1-13, 6-19
Scouting St. John’s
The Red Storm lost at UConn on Wednesday night to move their overall record to 13-11. Lashae Dwyer and Ber’Nyah Mayo scored 21 of St. John’s 40 points. The Johnnies never got comfortable at Gampel Pavilion shooting 25 percent from the field and 21 percent from 3-point range. Dwyer and Mayo are the top two scorers on St. John’s roster, but head coach Joe Tartamella relies heavily on his defense to win games. The Red Storm rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 56 points per game. They also rank third in steals per game, averaging 8.8 per game. Dwyer is the league leader in steals (71) and steals per game (2.96). She had a game-high four at UConn to go along with her 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
All-Time Series
St. John’s leads Butler in the all-time series 16-5. The Bulldogs won the last matchup 64-59 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, but have not won in New York since Feb. 1, 2019. That was an overtime thriller with BU winning by five, 73-68. Since that overtime victory, the Red Storm are 8-1 against the Bulldogs.
Last Game vs. The Johnnies
Butler notched a 64-59 victory against St. John’s last year at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range (11-24) to record their first win over St. John’s since Feb. 1, 2019! Second half action featured Butler outscoring the Johnnies 35-28. Riley Makalusky had 10 points, Karsyn Norman added eight and Sydney Jaynes was in the box score with seven. The Bulldogs outrebounded St. John’s 38-28 and outscored the Red Storm 17-2 in fast break points.
McGuff Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
McGuff averaged 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for BU, shooting 60 percent from the field (14-23) and 64 percent from 3-point range (9-14). She had 19 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and a block vs. Villanova. On Sunday, she led Butler to a 67-65 victory over Marquette with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. McGuff leads the BIG EAST in double-doubles (10), ranks third in rebounds per game (8.2), and fourth in made 3-pointers (49).
Net Rankings
Butler moved up three spots in the NET rankings (114) after winning at Georgetown. The Bulldogs could make another jump this weekend if they can win at St. John’s, a program listed at #77 in the latest rankings.
BIG EAST Leaders
Butler leads the BIG EAST in free throw attempts per game (17.4) and free throws made per game (12.4). Kilyn McGuff attacks the rim more than any other Bulldogs. She is the ninth best free throw shooter in the conference, making 77.1 percent of her attempts. McGuff has attempted 96 free throws this year, that’s 22 more than Lily Carmody who ranks second on the team in attempts with 74.
Fun In February
Butler went 5-2 during the month of February last year collecting wins against St. John’s, Providence, Villanova, Xavier, and DePaul. Four of those five wins came by seven points or less. The ‘Dawgs are now attempting to win three-straight conference games for the first time this year. They won back-to-back games vs. Providence and Georgetown in January. A win over St. John’s would be huge in the conference standings giving the ‘Dawgs the tiebreaker over both the Red Storm and the Hoyas.
Tournament Talk
The upcoming BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Tournament coverage begins with a first-round tripleheader on Friday, March 7. The title game will be played on Monday, March 10. If the season ended today, Butler would play as the No. 7 seed against No. 10 seed St. John’s.
Kilyn Reaches 1,000 Career Points
Kilyn McGuff reached 1,000 career points in the second half of Butler’s game at #6 UConn. She scored a team-high 17 against the Huskies to move her career total to 1,006. She has scored 339 points as a Bulldog and had 723 over her previous three years at Belmont.
600 Club
Kilyn McGuff grabbed 10 rebounds on Jan. 26 to push her career total over 600. McGuff leads the team with 221 rebounds this season and will need 45 more this season to break into the single-season top ten list in the Butler record book (8.8 per game).
What’s Missing?
Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans are both out for the season. Meulemans was sidelined just days before Butler’s first game and Strande suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 29 vs. Seton Hall. Strande was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection last year and became the first Bulldog in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
18 3-Pointers
Butler set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts.
10 Wins
BU recorded 10 non-conference wins for just the second time since joining the BIG EAST. Butler went 6-2 in November, highlighting the month with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,135 fans.
Up Next
Butler has two home games left on the schedule. BU will host Xavier Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and then face #7 UConn Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd!
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL TAKES BOTH GAMES OF DOUBLEHEADER AT EVANSVILLE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Butler softball team battled cold temperatures on Friday to come away with a pair of wins on the road at Evansville. The Bulldogs (6-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) came from behind to win the first game, 4-3, and then pulled away late from the Purple Aces (3-4, 0-0 Missouri Valley) for a 12-4 decisive victory in the nightcap.
Game 1: Butler 4, Evansville 3 (7 innings)
Four Evansville singles in the first inning produced a 3-0 lead for the Aces.
In the top of the third, Cate Lehner reached base on an error, advanced to third, and then scored on a wild pitch. Paige Dorsett then singled to left center, sending Ella White home from second. Evansville’s lead was cut to one.
In the top of the fifth, White walked, and a Makena Alexander double allowed her to score. The game was tied at three. In the bottom half, three walks loaded the bases for the Aces, but they could not push one across.
In the sixth inning, Sydney Carter walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lehner then singled through the left side, sending Carter home and putting the Dawgs in the lead for good, 4-3.
Gwen Baker (2-0) started in the circle for the Bulldogs and picked up the win. In 5.0 innings, she allowed three runs on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Rylyn Dyer (2.0 IP, 3K) entered at the top of the fifth inning and finished the game to earn a save.
Game 2: Butler 12, Evansville 4 (7 innings)
In the top of the first inning, Cate Lehner and Hailey Conger both singled and advanced on a wild pitch. Ella White hit a third single to send them both across, and the Dawgs took and early, 2-0, lead.
In the bottom of the second, Evansville used a home run and a sacrifice fly to respond with two runs of its own. The game was tied.
In the third, White picked up two more RBI on a two-run home run that also brought Conger to the plate. Butler was again in the lead, 4-2. In the bottom half, the Aces used a two-run single to once again tie the score.
One inning later, the Bulldogs advanced runners to second and third base. Lehner hit an infield single that allowed both to score. The Dawgs re-took the lead, 6-4.
In the top of the sixth, Butler used two singles and an error to increase the lead to 7-4. In the bottom half, Evansville loaded the bases, forcing a pitching change, but could not cut into the lead.
In the final inning, a double from Makena Alexander was followed by a run-scoring single from Paige Lillie. Two batters later, Alona Boydston knocked in Lillie, and the lead increased to 9-4. After a wild pitch led to another run, Conger pushed two more across on a bases-loaded single. The Dawgs held a commanding, 12-4, lead.
Katie Petran (2-0) started in the circle for Butler and earned the win. In 5.1 innings she allowed four runs on eight hits and five walks with seven strikeouts. Rylyn Dyer (1.2 IP, H, 3K) entered in the sixth with one out and the bases loaded but forced the Aces into a double play. She finished the game picked up her second save of the day.
Bulldog Bits
Ella White’s home run in game two was her third of the season and the 25th of her career. She is now tied for third on Butler’s All-Time Career home run list.
With three stolen bases today, Cate Lehner now has 47 in her career.
Makena Alexander’s two doubles today were her first this season and give her five in her career.
Gwen Baker’s win in the circle in game one was her second this season.
Katie Petran’s win in game two was her second this season and the 17th of her career.
Rylyn Dyer’s two saves were the third and fourth of her career.
Up Next
Butler heads to Murray, Kentucky, for the Velvet Milkman Classic from February 22-23. Scheduled opponents are Lindenwood, Western Illinois, and the host, Murray State.
BUTLER BASEBALL
BULLDOGS DROP SEASON OPENER AT TARLETON STATE 9-4
Tommy Townsend and Jack Moroknek each homered for Butler, but it wouldn’t be enough as Tarleton State collected a 9-4 win over the Bulldogs on opening day. Three of Butler’s four runs came in the top of the sixth inning. The final tally was a solo homer from Morkoknek.
Tarleton State opened up a 6-0 lead after the first five frames of the ballgame. Butler’s first run of the season came courtesy of a deep sac fly from Ryan Drumm. BU shortstop Logan Crock came around to score the first run of his collegiate career on the play.
Tommy Townsend followed in the order and knocked a two-run shot over the wall in right to make the game 6-3. The Texans got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth and would use a solo homer in the seventh to move the game to 9-3. Moroknek’s home run to left ended the scoring with Tarleton winning 9-4.
Moroknek was 2-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored and the RBI. Freshman Harry Carr also had a multi-hit game going 2-for-4 in his debut. The Bulldogs came up with eight hits to Tarleton State’s 12.
Ben Whiteside was hit with the loss while the win went to Jake Burcham. Whiteside struck out two over four full. He only allowed two earned runs over seven hits.
Tre Benjamin and Cade Vota touched the rubber for BU in relief. Each arm was tagged with three earned runs. Vota pitched the final four innings.
These two clubs will play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 2 p.m.
IU INDY SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL SWEPT IN OPENING DAY OF USC UPSTATE INVITATIONAL
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The IU Indy softball team opened the USC Upstate Invitational on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14 but there wasn’t much love for the Jags as they fell in back-to-back games. Kendal Calvert led the Jags at the plate with three hits in the two games combined.
In the opening game, IU Indy attempted a comeback but fell short against Canisius, 3-2.
After three scoreless innings from both sides, the Griffs jumped on the scoreboard first with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, 1-0. They extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth frame with two runs on three hits, 3-0.
IU Indy attempted to comeback from the 3-0 deficit in the top of the seventh, but they came up just short. Kinsey Pfeiffer reached base on a walk, Piper Stephens then entered to run for Pfeiffer. With two outs and Stephens on third, freshman Reese Rosenbaum singled to third base to put runners at first and third. Isabelle Waggner then singled to left field to score Stephens and Rosenbaum. IU Indy was unable to plate another run and fell, 3-2.
Calvert and Rosenbaum each added two hits in the first game of the day while Paige McPhearson and Waggner each added one hit. Lily Roush (L, 1-1) took the loss in the circle for the Jags, giving up three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
Game two also did not go the Jags’ way as they fell in five innings, 13-2. IU Indy’s defensive miscues played an important role as the Jags committed six errors. USC Upstate took the early lead in the first inning with three runs on two hits which ultimately proved to be enough as the Jags plated just two runs.
After a three-run first for the Spartans, the Jags kept it close, cutting the lead to one with two runs in the second inning. Tori Candler started things off with a single to short. Molly Kable then knocked the first home run of the season over the center field fence to score Candler and put the Jags on the board at 3-2.
IU Indy was unable to score again as the Spartans went on to seal the win at 13-2 with three runs in the bottom of the second, two runs in the third and five in the fourth frame.
McPhearson collected to hits in the second game as Calvert, Candler, Kable, Lexi Gordon and Stephens each added one hit. Alexa Holman (L, 0-2) took the loss in the circle giving up seven runs (four earned) on four hits in 2.0 innings of work.
IU Indy will run it back tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15 as they face Canisius at 11:00 AM and USC Upstate at 4:00 PM.
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL CONCLUDES THREE-GAME HOMESTAND SATURDAY AFTERNOON VS NIU
The Ball State men’s basketball team concludes a three-game homestand when it hosts Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Worthen Arena.
The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ with Noah Reed and David Eha on the call, while Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ball State leads the head-to-head series with the Huskies 63-41 including a 37-13 advantage in games played in Muncie. Northern Illinois won the first matchup of the season between the two teams 76-66 on Jan. 25 in DeKalb.
The Cardinals (12-12, 5-6 Mid-American Conference) are coming off an 86-84 overtime win Tuesday night against Eastern Michigan which was highlighted by Jermahri Hill’s game-winning dunk with under three seconds to play. Ball State has won two in a row after taking down Southern Miss last Saturday.
The Huskies (5-19, 1-10 MAC) have dropped five straight including a 73-67 setback to Buffalo on Tuesday. Northern ranks second in the MAC in blocks per game (3.7) and 3-point attempts per game (27.3), while ranking third in 3-pointers made per game (9.0) and turnover margin (+2.1).
Sophomore guard Quentin Jones is second in the league in playing time (36:03, No. 28 nationally) and points per game (16.3), while junior forward Ethan Butler is second in the MAC in blocks per game (1.56).
Next up for the Cardinals is a road game at Toledo at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
FATT WITH THE FLUSH: Junior guard Jermahri Hill had a highlight reel game-winning two-hand slam dunk with 2.8 seconds on the clock in Ball State’s 86-84 overtime win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.
Hill took the ball coast-to-coast for the jam which was featured as the No. 6 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 segment. The Bessemer, Ala., native led the Cardinals with 21 points, eight rebounds and a season-best seven assists.
FLYING IN OT WITH THE EAGLES: The overtime win was Ball State’s first since Feb. 3, 2023 when the Cardinals topped Eastern Michigan 91-90 at home.
The last three games played in Muncie between Ball State and Eastern Michigan have been decided by a total of five points, as the Eagles claimed a 58-56 decision last February.
TRIO OF 1,000 POINT SCORERS: Jeremiah Hernandez became the third Ball State men’s basketball player of the season to amass 1,000 career points when he hit the milestone early in the second half on Tuesday night.
Payton Sparks secured his 1,000th point on New Year’s Eve before Mickey Pearson Jr., hit the mark last Saturday.
MOVING UP THE RECORD BOOK: Sparks (720 career rebounds at Ball State) is 12 away from from moving into the Top 10 in the Ball State record book.
Mike Readnour (732) is currently 10th, while Franko House (741) is also in striking distance for Sparks at 9th.
CARDIAC CARDS: Ball State’s 86-84 win on Tuesday night was its fifth of the season by four points or fewer and second straight.
The Cardinals also had thrilling wins vs Southern Miss last Saturday (77-76), at Central Michigan (82-80), Bellarmine (86-82) and vs Eastern Kentucky (63-61) earlier in the schedule.
HUGE NIGHT FOR HERNANDEZ: Jeremiah Hernandez scored a season-best 18 points in Ball State’s 86-84 win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday.
The graduate student out of Chicago’s previous season-best was 15 points at Central Michigan. Hernandez is currently fifth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game.
BIG GAME FOR MICKEY: Pearson Jr., scored a season-best 21 points, including 19 in the second half, in Ball State’s win over Southern Miss last Saturday.
The forward reached the 1,000 career points mark in the second half after securing his 500th rebound at Ball State in the first half.
COMEBACK CARDS: Ball State rallied from a 10-point deficit on Jan. 28 at Buffalo for its second double-digit comeback of the year.
The Cardinals trailed 25-15 midway through the first half but used a 30-7 scoring run to claim a 45-32 lead at halftime. The biggest comeback of the year was from 13 points down at Central Michigan on Jan. 21.
PAYTON POUNDING THE GLASS: Sparks pulled down 14 rebounds along with putting up a career-high 27 points in the Jan. 28 win at Buffalo.
The Winchester, Ind., native leads the league in rebounding in conference games (10.0 per game) while ranking second overall (7.8). Sparks is the 10th Ball State men’s basketball player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 700 career rebounds for the Cardinals.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Sparks (163) and Hill (163) are first and second in the league in free throw attempts, respectively.
The two also go 1-2 in the conference in free throws made, with 109 for Hill and 105 for Sparks. Sparks ranks No. 19 nationally in free throw attempts, while Hill is No. 23 in NCAA Division I.
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals pace the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (26.0) and free throws made per game (18.1) through the season’s first 24 games.
Ball State ranks No. 9 and No. 10 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (625 attempts and 434 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 100 attempts and 47 makes.
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito had made multiple 3-pointers in 16 games this season, including a season-best seven on Dec. 14 at Bellarmine to lead the Cardinals to an 86-82 win and eventually being named the MAC Player of the Week for the performance.
Gorosito is fourth in the conference in 3-pointers made (57) and second in shooting percentage (40.0) from distance among those who’ve made at least two per game.
HOME STATE HEROES: Brittain-Watts (2019), Zane Doughty, Joey Hart and Mason Jones (2023) were each named Indiana High School All-Stars, while three more Cardinals also had ties to the state before arriving in Muncie.
Ball State has the second-most players from Indiana high schools among Indiana-based Division I teams behind Purdue.
WORLD FLYERS: The 2024-25 Ball State roster consists of student-athletes from three different countries in addition to the United States of America.
Gorosito (Argentina), Hendriks (Canada) and Jurica Zagorsak (Croatia) are international Cardinals this season. Interestingly, Juanse, Ben and Jurica were born on different continents, so Ball State has student-athletes from North America, South America and Europe on the team.
TRANSFERS FROM ALL OVER: Each of Ball State’s seven student-athletes who have transferred into the program have come from different college basketball conferences.
The list includes Ethan Brittain-Watts (Patriot League, Boston), Gorosito (West Coast Conference, Portland), Hart (SEC, Kentucky), Hernandez (Ohio Valley Conference, USI), Pearson Jr. (Big 12, TCU), Sparks (Big Ten, Indiana) and Hill who played junior college ball at South Plains in Levelland, Texas.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
THE CARDINALS FALL TO LEWIS IN TOUGH 3-2 BATTLE
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State men’s volleyball fell to Lewis in a tough 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 17-25, 25-10, 12-15) battle Friday night at home.
Despite the loss, Rajé Alleyne played a stellar game, leading the team and recording a season-high 27 kills. Alleyne hit an impressive .523 percentage from the floor while also adding five blocks and six digs.
Also supporting the Cardinals’ offense were Patrick Rogers and Braydon Savitski-Lynde. Rogers hit .345 with 14 kills and Savitski-Lynde added 10 kills while hitting .625.
Savitski-Lynde was also a difference maker on defense, hitting a new career-high with seven blocks.
Assisting the team was Lucas Machado with a recorded 52. He also had two service aces and 10 digs for the Cardinals.
Ball State came out strong in the first set, taking an early 5-2 lead over Lewis. They kept their advantage to the final point of the frame, winning 25-17. The Cardinals ended the first with a .524 hitting percentage, meanwhile holding the Flyers at .143.
Lewis came out more aggressive in the second set, never allowing Ball State to pull away by more than two points. The two teams went back and forth through the whole frame, heading into the final points tied at 20. The Flyers were able to close the set, taking five of the final six points for a 25-21 finish.
Momentum stayed with Lewis into the third frame. Despite the Cardinals remaining close through the first half of the set, the Flyers were able to pull away and secure the point. Lewis won the frame 25-17 following a five-point run.
Down 2-1 to the Flyers, Ball State played a commanding fourth set. The Cardinals set the tone early with a 5-1 advantage. Lewis was able to get within three, trailing 6-9, before Ball State took off on a nine-point run. Up 18-6, the Cardinals ultimately closed the set in a dominant fashion, winning 25-10 with the inclusion of four major kills from Alleyne.
Even after a huge fourth set win, the Cardinals struggled to slow the Flyers offense in the fifth. Ultimately, Lewis was able to defeat Ball State in a 15-12 final set and give the Cardinals their first conference loss.
Up next, Ball State men’s volleyball will hit the road on Thursday (Feb. 20) for another conference match against Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri. Following that match, they will head to Lebanon, Illinois to take on McKendree that Saturday (Feb. 22).
BALL STATE BASEBALL
CARDINALS TRIUMPH 7-2 OVER TOWSON IN SEASON OPENER AT SWIG & SWINE CLASSIC
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Ball State baseball team rode a strong performance from Jacob Hartlaub on the mound and multi-RBI games from Blake Bevis, Brett Griffiths and Clay Jacobs at the plate to a 7-2 win over Towson on Friday at Shipyard Park.
The Cardinals led wire-to-wire in the season opener at the Swig & Swine Classic, scoring three runs in the second inning on a two-run single by Griffiths following by an RBI knock by Gavin Balius in both of their Ball State debuts.
Jacobs drove in a run each in the third (bunt single) and fifth (grounder to second) to extend the Cardinals’ advantage to 5-0. Bevis punctuated the offense with a two-run homer to left field in the sixth inning for a 7-0 edge.
Hartlaub struck out eight and surrendered only one hit in 5.2 innings of shutout ball. The senior righthander didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning, setting the Tigers down in order four times while being perfect the first time through the order.
Owen Quinn came on in relief and struck out three in 3.1 frames to earn his first career save.
Dylan Grego and Garrett Arnold has a pair of singles each to lead a Ball State offense that tallied nine hits.
“Our boys played a solid game with a lot of guys contributing,” head coach Rich Maloney said. “Jacob Hartlaub was outstanding, and Blake Bevis hit a mammoth home run. No errors and three walks is a winning formula.”
Towson starter Max Simpson gave up four runs in three innings to be hit with the loss.
Ball State is set to play Maryland at 11 a.m. and UMass Lowell at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the second day of the Swig & Swine Classic.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORE BATS COME TO LIFE ON FRIDAY EVENING TO TAKE DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT WITH WAGNER
GASTONIA, N.C. – Indiana State split Friday’s season-opening doubleheader on Friday afternoon as the Sycamores fell in the opener, 3-2, before topping the Seahawks 16-6 in the evening’s finale.
Grant Parson recorded his first win in the Sycamore uniform on the mound, while Carter Beck, Carlos Pena, and Weston Fulk all homered on the afternoon. Thomas Emerich added a team-high four hits over the two contests including a trio of doubles.
Game 1: Wagner 3, Indiana State 2
Diego Tavarez connected on the walk-off two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel the Seahawks to the 3-2 win in the 2025 season opener between Wagner and Indiana State.
The Sycamores built a 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning as Thomas Emerich connected on a two-out RBI double to left field scoring Eli Gipson. Sebastian Torres followed with a double that snuck just inside the left field line scoring Emerich to give Indiana State the two-run lead heading into the stretch.
The Seahawks took one back in the bottom of the seventh as Lukas Torres drove in Leo Doyle to pull the game back within one run.
The margin remained the same heading into the bottom of the ninth as Gavin Morris (0-1) looked to close out the contest. The Sycamore right-hander surrendered a leadoff walk to Jake Griess, before retiring the next two batters. However, Tavarez turned the ball and lofted one over the right field wall for the walk-off home run to secure the win for the Seahawks.
It was a pitching duel through the first five innings as both teams’ pitching staffs carried no-hitters into the sixth innings. Ryan Karst battled wildness early in going 3.0 innings in his first start of the season allowing four walks while striking out three. Max McEwen went 3.0 innings in an extended relief appearance striking out five, while Jacob Spencer, Zac Laird, and Breyllin Suriel bridged the gap to Morris late.
Emerich and Torres both doubled to highlight Indiana State’s offense in the game. Carter Beck and Gipson both added stolen bases.
Jason Masick (1-0) took the win for Wagner throwing a scoreless ninth inning in relief. Connor Hayden went the first four innings allowing two walks while striking out four. Jake Toporek allowed four hits and two runs over a 4.0-inning outing.
Bryce Pehlps had two of Wagner’s five hits in the game including one of the team’s two doubles. Joseph Mennella added a double and stolen base, while Torres also picked up a steal in the win.
How They Scored
Thomas Emerich connected on an RBI double with two outs in the seventh inning bringing home Eli Gipson to give the Sycamores the 1-0 lead in the seventh.
Sebastian Torres followed with an RBI double down the left field line scoring Emerich to make it a 2-0 game.
Lukas Torres brought home Leo Doyle in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI groundout as Wagner pulled back within 2-1.
Diego Taverez connected on the walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth scoring Nicholas Mazzotta to secure the 3-2 win for the Seahawks.
Game Two: Indiana State 16, Wagner 6
The Sycamores broke the game open in the top of the fifth inning as Indiana State scored 11 runs in the frame on their way to securing the Friday doubleheader split against the Seahawks. Carter Beck, Weston Fulk, and Carlos Pena all homered in the win.
Indiana State seized control of the game early in the first inning as Beck followed Pena’s leadoff walk with a two-run home run to right center putting the Sycamores ahead 2-0. Fulk followed with a towering home run down the left field line to make it a 3-0 game.
The Sycamores added two more runs in the second as Thomas Emerich scored on a wild pitch before Pena connected on a solo shot over the wall in left center to stretch the lead to 5-0.
Wagner put two runs on the board in the fifth as Connor Roche connected on a two-run home run to left field scoring Bryce Phelps to make it a 5-2 contest.
Indiana State broke the game open in the fifth as the Sycamores sent 15 batters to the plate highlighted by Jorge Cartagena’s three-run double, while Pena (single) and Sutherlin (double) added two-run hits in the frame as the Sycamores built a 16-2 lead.
Wagner added late runs in the contest with Phelps providing a two-run double in the eighth in the Seahawks’ loss.
Grant Parson (1-0) picked up his first win in the Sycamore uniform as the sophomore right-hander went 5.0 innings allowing five hits and two runs. He struck out six before turning the ball over to the bullpen following the big inning. Carson Seeman went 2.2 innings in relief, while Jack Armstrong struck out two over the final 1.1 innings to secure the win.
Emerich was 3-for-4 from the plate with two doubles, three runs, and a stolen base to lead the Sycamores’ offense. Pena, Beck, and Jeremy Martinez all posted multi-hit games in the win. Miguel Cantu, Sutherlin, Cartagena, Martinez, and Emerich all doubled, while Pena, Beck, and Fulk homered.
Heitaro Hayashi (0-1) went 2.0 innings allowing four hits and five runs in the loss. Andrew Ravelo, Griffin White, and A.J. Hiestand saw time in relief on the mound.
Phelps led Wagner’s offense going 3-for-4 from the plate with a pair of RBIs. Matt Sutera and Jake Griess added a pair of multi-hit games.
How They Scored
Carter Beck (two-run) and Weston Fulk (solo) connected on back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first inning to stake Indiana State to the early 3-0 lead.
Thomas Emerich scored on a wild pitch for the Sycamores’ first run in the second inning, before Carlos Pena connected on a solo home run to left center to give Indiana State the 5-0 lead.
Connor Roche connected on a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning scoring Bryce Phelps to make it a 5-2 contest.
Emerich scored on another wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth to jump-start the Sycamore offense in the frame and make it a 6-2 game.
Keegan Garis was hit by a pitch with the bases-loaded scoring Beck, before Jorge Cartagena cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left field line to make it a 10-2 contest.
Jeremy Martinez kept the scoring going in the fifth with an RBI single, before Pena brought home two more on a single through the right-side scoring Martinez and Gipson.
Beck added an RBI in the frame with a base hit bringing home Emerich to make it a 14-2 contest.
Nick Sutherlin closed out the scoring in the 11-run inning with a two-run double to right center bringing Beck and Pena across the plate.
Matteo Matthews put one back on the board for Wagner with a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Jake Griess.
Bryce Phelps connected on a two-run double to left center, and then scored on Emmett Coco’s single to left center to provide the final 16-6 scoring margin.
News & Notes
Indiana State’s roster featured a number of players making their first start in the Sycamore lineup on Friday afternoon. Game one featured the inaugural starts by Carter Beck, Weston Fulk, Emil Estrella, Alex Nveils, Elip Gipson, Sebastian Torres, and Ryan Karst. Game two featured first starts by Nick Sutherlin, Jorge Cartagena, Jeremy Martinez, Thomas Emmerich, and Grant Parson.
Carter Beck, Weston Fulk, and Carlos Pena all connected on their first home runs in the Sycamore Blue & White on Friday.
Beck and Fulk’s back-to-back home runs marked the first time the Sycamores achieved the feat in the 2025 season. Indiana State achieved the feat six times over the course of the 2024 season with the first coming on March 19.
Thomas Emerich’s three doubles over the two games led all teams on Friday afternoon. He finished with a team-high four hits and four runs scored.
Nine Sycamore pitchers saw time on the mound on Friday paced by Ryan Karst and Grant Parson’s starts.
Newcomers Zac Laird, Jack Armstrong, Breyllin Suriel, Gavin Morris, and Carson Seeman all made their first appearances as a Sycamore.
Up Next
Indiana State and Wagner are scheduled to close out the three-game series on Saturday afternoon at CaroMont Health Park. First pitch in the series finale is set for 1 p.m. ET. Live stats will be available on GoSycamores.com.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MUIR’S 25 KILLS LEAD ‘DONS TO FIRST MIVA VICTORY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team notched their first Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association win on Friday (Feb. 14) in a 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-21) victory over Queens.
The competitive play from Thursday’s match bled into the first set, as neither side was able to gain an edge. Queens managed to string together a 5-1 run to take a 15-11 lead. The Mastodons’ match-low .097 hitting percentage in the first set impeded on their chances of closing in on the lead. The Royals’ run was the deciding factor in the set, as the teams locked into a 10-10 draw for the remainder of the fourth. Queens collected their lone set at 25-21.
The Royals threatened to pull away at the beginning of the second set with a 4-0 run, but the Mastodons responded with a 5-0 push to give them a 12-9 lead. Following the media timeout, Queens jumped on a 7-1 surge to take their own three-point lead. The ‘Dons countered with their own run (4-0) to take a lead that was held the remainder of the set, winning an extended 26-24. Logan Muir put away the last four Purdue Fort Wayne kills in the set. The ‘Dons were able to hold Queens to a .033 percentage in the second frame, their lowest in the match.
Queens looked to repeat the previous match, pulling off a 6-1 run to start the third set. The Royals held onto their lead for a majority of the frame, leading 21-18 going into a Mastodon timeout. The ‘Dons came out of the timeout ready for action, as they sprung a 6-0 run to take the lead and win the set 25-23. Three players contributed six kills in the set: Muir, JP Candrian and Queens’ Matthew Pilch.
The fourth set was neck and neck, neither team leading by more than three up until the finish. Purdue Fort Wayne added a 4-1 push, backed by three kills from Casey Lyons, to take a 11-10 lead. The teams found themselves locked at 20-20 prior to a 5-1 run from the ‘Dons to take the match.
Andrej Polomac finished with a double-double, 46 assists and a career-high 11 digs. Muir set a career high 25 kills in the match, making it consecutive career-high nights for the California native.
Purdue Fort Wayne climbs to 6-5, 1-3 in MIVA play. Queens drops to 9-5, 2-2 in the MIVA. The Mastodons will travel to Illinois to take on No. 6 Loyola Chicago (Feb. 20) and No. 14 Lewis (Feb. 22).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
PURDUE FORT WAYNE SOFTBALL BEATS DEPAUL 5-2
MARTIN, Tenn. – The Purdue Fort Wayne softball team racked up eight hits en route to beating DePaul 5-2 on Friday (Feb. 14).
It was the first victory for the Mastodons over DePaul in the history of the series.
Kennedy Peckinpaugh led the way with two hits from the cleanup spot and Addison Zimpleman had two RBIs from the five-spot.
DePaul took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly in foul territory past the right field line, but the ‘Dons answered with a run of their own in their next time up. Bailey Manos got on base with a single and was worked around to third by Aglaia Rudd and Peckinpaugh. Zimpleman grounded out, but Manos was able to score on the play.
The two teams remained tied until the sixth. On the first pitch she saw in the sixth, Rudd sent a long ball over the left center wall. Two ABs later, Zimpleman had a solo home run over the right field wall to put the ‘Dons up 3-1. DePaul answered with a home run from Kelly Beaupre in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Mastodon lead to one.
The Mastodons picked up two insurance runs in the seventh inning when Faith McClain and Manos scored, but DePaul never had an answer.
Alanah Jones threw all seven innings and struck out four Blue Demons to pick up her first win of the season. DePaul’s Kelly Green threw 6.0 and took the loss. DePaul fell to 3-4.
Purdue Fort Wayne improved to 2-6 and will visit Carbondale, Illinois on March 1-2 for Southern Illinois’ Coach B Classic.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
BASEBALL FALLS IN SEASON OPENER TO NO. 2 LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team fell 14-0 at No. 2 LSU on Friday (Feb. 14) to open the 2025 season in front of a crowd of 11,456. It is the first of three games with the Tigers.
Daniel Dickinson knocked in five runs for LSU. He drove in two with a single in the first and two more with a double in the second.
The Mastodons had four hits in the game with Brooks Sailors, Camden Karczewski, Justin Osterhouse and Colton Shirley each recording a single. Homestead grad Nick Hockemeyer earned a walk out of the leadoff spot in his first game as a Mastodon.
Kade Anderson went 5.0 innings to get the win for LSU. Dillon Fischer made his debut for the ‘Dons, taking the loss after allowing five earned runs in 4.0 innings.
The ‘Dons and Tigers will play on Saturday (Feb. 15) in a noon ET start. The game was moved up due to rain predicted in the area on Saturday.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
ACES BASEBALL DROPS OPENING DAY DOUBLEHEADER AT LITTLE ROCK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – In the first two contests of the 2025 season the University of Evansville baseball team wasn’t able to find an extra bit of offense for a win at Little Rock.
Starting the season off with a doubleheader the Purple Aces came close to a comeback win in the first game of the day. Up 4-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth the Little Rock Trojans found three runs to take game one 5-4. UE’s offense struggled to get going in the second game of the day, recording only three hits in the 5-1 loss.
“A tough way to start the season as we didn’t earn a win,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll following Friday’s doubleheader. “Too many mistakes at the end of both games hurt our chances. [Left-handed pitcher Kenton] Deverman gave us a chance with a great performance in the second game, but we couldn’t take advantage of it. We need to salvage the weekend on Sunday playing overall better baseball.”
GAME 1
Junior right-hander Max Hansmann (Elmhurst, Ill. / York HS) got the Opening Day start for his first start since April of 2023. But a lead off walk for the Trojans turned into a scored run as it was followed by a hit and a line out. Hansmann ended the inning with his first strike of the day as Little Rock took a 1-0 lead into the second.
Neither team had much success on offense in the second inning. In the third junior third baseman Drew Howard (Ferdinand, Ind. / Forest Park HS) led off with a walk and moved to third on a ground out. Howard stole third during center fielder Ty Rumsey’s (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) second at bat of the game. Rumsey connected for the Aces first hit of the day, scoring Howard to tie the game.
The game remained tied over the next three innings as a pitcher’s dual ensued. Hansmann ended his day after four innings with four hits, one run, three walks, and five strikeouts while facing 19 batters. Junior transfer Owen Byberg (Barrie, Ontario / Frontier CC) made his Division I debut in the fifth inning where he quickly struck out two batters.
UE added two hits in the fourth and the sixth innings from sophomore left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS) and senior second baseman Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley). But it was Little Rock who found home plate next in the bottom of the seventh. The Trojans first two batters made it on base and scored on a double play as Evansville took the outs at second and first over going for home.
The Aces responded immediately in the top of the eighth with a back-to-back singles from first baseman Kevin McCormick (Orland Park, Ill. / St. Laurence HS) and Rumsey. Freshman pinch runner Ryan Seddon (Joliet, Ill. / St. Laurence HS) scored on a sacrifice fly from senior right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) to tie the game while Rumsey made it to third.
Rumsey then quickly gave UE its only lead of the day when he scored on a passed ball during the next at bat. Evansville’s next two batters were retired but not before taking advantage to grab a late game lead. The Aces made two defensive changes in the bottom of the eighth as senior Ben Stuart (Mason, Ohio / William Mason HS) took over at first and senior right-hander Drew Fieger (Fort Mitchell, Ky. / Lincoln Trail CC) stepped onto the mound.
UE ended the inning with the one run lead as Little Rock stranded a runner on third. Evansville added an insurance run in the top of the ninth as sophomore pinch runner Aaron Nehls (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) scored on an RBI single from Howard. But the insurance run wasn’t enough as the Trojans loaded the bases with one out.
After three walks to start the bottom of the ninth, Little Rock added a hit and a fielder’s choice against sophomore right hander Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich. / Monroe HS) to tie the game. With two runners in scoring position a wild pitch from Roberts sent the walk-off Trojan run home in the 5-4 loss.
GAME 2
While the first game had a smattering of offense throughout, it was a pitcher’s duel almost from start to finish in second game. 2024 MVC Freshman of the Year Kenton Deverman (Dardenne Prairie, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt West HS) began the game on the mound for the Aces and had all three putouts in the first inning. UE’s offense had a slightly better start as Rumsey began the game with a single.
But Evansville’s offense would grow cold not connecting on another hit until the final inning of the game. Deverman had a strong performance to keep the Aces in the game, not allowing a run in the first four innings with five strikeouts, three hits, and only one walk. The shutout was broken in the bottom of the fifth by Little Rock as their center fielder hit a two-run homer to right center.
Deverman pitched two more innings for UE, picking up two more strikeouts while retiring the Trojans in order both times. Evansville used two pitchers in the eighth inning as redshirt junior Parker MacCauley (Paducah, Ky. / Tennessee Tech) allowed two hits and a run. The Aces then put senior left-hander Jacob Jarvis (Farmington, Mo. / Jefferson College) in for the rest of the game. Little Rock added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a commanding 5-0 lead.
UE would spoil the shutout in the top of the ninth as Taubert had Evansville’s only multi-base hit of the day. The right fielder launched a solo home run out of left field to score the Aces lone run of the second game. McGinnis followed up Taubert’s homer with a single to get on base and sophomore short stop Brodie Peart (Markham, Ontario, Canada) walked. But a fly out followed by a double play ended the day for UE as they dropped the second game 5-1.
Rumsey led Evansville on Friday with three hits, a run, an RBI, and two stolen bases. McGinnis was the only other Ace with multiple hits as he connected on two in eight at bats. Four other UE players had a hit each while Taubert had two RBIs in five at bats. Evansville did steal four bases on Friday as Howard stole two along with Rumsey in six appearances at the plate.
Due to projected weather on Saturday in the Little Rock area the Aces have the day off before returning to action. UE will try to bring a win back to Evansville on Sunday afternoon as first pitch from Gary Hogan Field is set for 1 p.m.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
ACES WRAP UP HOME DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST BUTLER
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Morgan Adams recorded a home run and three RBI on Friday as the University of Evansville softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Butler at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.
Game 1 – Butler 4, UE 3
Evansville got off to a quick start, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Zoe Frossard was hit by a pitch while Taylor Howe followed with a single. Next up was Brooke Voss who singled to centerfield to bring in Frossard for the first run of the game.
Jess Willsey followed up with another single while an error by the Bulldogs contributed to a pair of runs scoring. UE completed the frame with four hits. The Purple Aces had a chance to add more to the lead with two runners reaching in the second including Kynadee Warner, who led off with a single. The Bulldogs were able to get out of the frame without allowing anymore runs to score.
It did not take long for Butler to take advantage, plating two runs in the top half of the third. Looking to get back on track, Callie Meinel and Eliza Piggott each recorded hits in the bottom of the frame but would not score. It remained 3-2 in favor of UE until the fifth when the Bulldogs scored the tying run before recording what would be the winning run in the 6th.
Gwen Baker was the winning pitcher for Butler as she tossed five innings with three runs scoring. Sydney Weatherford suffered the loss with two runs scoring in two frames. Kate Ridgway made the start, allowing two runs, one earned, in five frames.
Game 2 – Butler 12, UE 4
Scoring the final eight runs of the contest, Butler pulled away for a 12-4 victory in game two of the doubleheader.
After Butler plated the first two runs of the game, the Aces came through with two runs in the bottom of the second. Morgan Adams got UE on the board with a 1-out solo home run while Taylor Howe’s sacrifice fly knotted the game at 2-2.
The Bulldogs retook the lead with a 2-run homer in the top of the third, but the Aces responded with a pair of runs to tie it back up. It was Adams coming through once again, picking up a 2-run single. The back-and-forth action continued as the Bulldogs retook the lead with two runs in the fourth and one in the sixth to take a 7-4 lead.
Looking to rally in the bottom of the sixth, UE loaded the bases with one out. Niki Bode and Zoe Frossard both walked while Kynadee Warner added a single. Unfortunately, a double play ended the threat and Butler scored five times in the 7th to seal the win. Cassidy Gall took the loss for UE, allowing four runs in three innings of work. Katie Petran was the winner for the Bulldogs, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 frames.
Adams was the top performer for UE, going 2-3 with a home run and three RBI. The Aces look to get back on track with a home tournament next weekend that is set to run from Friday through Sunday.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI WINS 3-1 TO OPEN 2025
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball opened the 2025 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. USI is 1-0 to start the season, while Alabama State is 0-1 to begin its season.
USI grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top first when junior third baseman Patrick McLellan singled through the right side to score senior centerfielder Khi Holiday from third. Holiday had moved into scoring position after singling to lead off the game, stole second, and advanced to third on a ground out.
After Alabama State tied the score in the bottom of the second, USI senior leftfielder BJ Banyon put the Eagles back into the lead, 2-1, after stealing third and scoring on a throwing error in the top of the third. The Eagles added to lead in the sixth when freshman third baseman Kannon Coakley scored on a passed ball for the eventual 3-1 final.
On the mound, USI junior right-hander Blake Kimball picked up the win after going six innings. Kendall allowed one run on five hits, one hit, and one walk, while striking out one.
USI sophomore right-hander Aaron Rubio closed out the final three innings to earn his first save as an Eagle. Rubio threw three innings, setting down all nine hitters, striking out two.
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI continues the four-game series with Alabama State Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Eagles open the 2025 home schedule by hosting Western Kentucky University Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the first 200 fans get a USI red rally towel.
VALPO BASEBALL
LOCKWOOD TURNS IN SOLID START, MAKA HOMERS TWICE IN DOUBLEHEADER SETBACK AT SAMFORD
The Valparaiso University baseball team opened the 2025 season on Friday, dropping a 4-2 cliffhanger in the season opener before host Samford pulled away for a 14-4, seven-inning victory in the nightcap in Birmingham, Ala.
How It Happened – Game 1
Valpo starting pitcher redshirt junior Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) was touched for an unearned run in the opening inning, and Samford tacked on two more in the third to make it 3-0 advantage.
Lockwood sent down the side in order with two strikeouts in the second, then replicated that feat in the fourth. He followed with a 1-2-3 fifth and worked around leadoff singles in the sixth and seventh frames. The Valpo right-hander permitted one more run in the eighth before taking the tough-luck loss despite an eight-inning complete game allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out seven and walking nine.
The Beacons were held hitless through the first five innings, but redshirt freshman Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) led off the sixth with a single up the middle before senior Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) drilled a two-run homer to right to cut the lead to 3-2. However, that was the extent of the Valpo run production in the season opener.
Inside the Game – Game 1
Lockwood delivered Valpo’s first complete game since Bryce Konitzer had one of the seven-inning variety on April 28, 2024 at UIC.
This was Lockwood’s second career complete game after he went all nine on March 30 of last season vs. Bradley.
Maka’s home run was the 17th of his collegiate career, four shy of cracking the program’s all-time top 10.
Maka finished the game with two of the team’s four hits.
How It Happened – Game 2
Samford scored twice in the opening inning, but a single by Kade Reinertson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) got the Beacons on the board in the top of the second.
The Bulldogs plated a half a dozen in the bottom of the second, opening up an 8-1 lead.
Junior Austin Amburgey (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) delivered a run-scoring single in the top of the third, but Samford got that run right back in the bottom of the inning.
Maka rocketed his second home run of the day to right field in the top of the fourth.
Samford responded with a two-run homer of its own in the bottom of the inning as part of a three-run frame and tacked on two more in the sixth on its way to invoking the 10-run rule.
Inside the Game – Game 2
Maka drilled his 18th career home run, moving to within three of cracking the program’s all-time top 10.
The hit column was closer than the run column in the nightcap, as the Bulldogs held a slim 11-9 advantage over the Beacons.
Senior Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw) doubled as part of a two-hit game, while Sullivan had four hits total on his first day in a Valpo uniform after going 3-for-3 with a walk in Game 2 out of the leadoff spot in the lineup.
Up Next
Valpo (0-2) will close out the season-opening series at Samford at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The game will not be streamed, but live stats will be available.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BEACONS TREK TO MISSOURI STATE SUNDAY
Valparaiso (9-15, 5-8 MVC)
Game #25 – February 16, 2025 – 2 p.m.
at Missouri State (19-5, 11-2 MVC)
Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) – Springfield, Mo.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off a three-game homestand, a quick one-game trip is on the docket for the Valpo women’s basketball team this weekend, as the Beacons make the trip to Springfield, Mo. to face Missouri State on Sunday in the final regular season meeting as MVC opponents.
Previously: While the temperature was dropping outside, Valpo was scorching the net inside the ARC Thursday evening early on, as the Beacons hit six first-quarter 3-pointers and then held off a push from visiting UIC to come away with a 60-51 victory. With a basket in the third quarter, Leah Earnest became just the third player in program history to score 1,500 career points.
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Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 69-131. Evans’ first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo’s six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.
Series Notes: Missouri State owns an 12-1 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo, including a sweep of the season series last year. The Lady Bears won 67-47 in Springfield, in a game where Olivia Brown recorded a game-high 15 points, and earned a 77-66 victory in Valparaiso despite a 17-point performance from Leah Earnest.
@ValpoWBB…
…and @ValleyHoops
– Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.
– The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons’ regular-season finish last year.
– Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
– The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo’s time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).
…looking back at last year
– Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.
– Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.
– Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that – prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.
…versus UIC
– Five different Valpo players combined for six 3-pointers in the opening quarter, while the Beacon defense forced nine first-quarter turnovers.
– The lead reached double figures 6:40 into the game on a basket by Nevaeh Jackson – who also had a pair of triples in the quarter – and was 24-7 at the end of the first.
– Valpo scored the first five points of the second period to push its lead to 22 points with 8:35 to play in the half, but scored just four points the rest of the half. UIC ended the half on a 17-4 run, but it was still a 33-24 edge for the Beacons at intermission.
– The Flames cut Valpo’s lead to five points twice in the third quarter, but both times Jackson was there with points to answer immediately.
– The Beacons’ largest lead of the third quarter came late, as a Katie Beyer bucket made it an 11-point advantage with 1:26 to play in the period. Valpo carried a 47-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
– UIC got as close as four points with 4:12 to play in the game, but Valpo held the Flames without a point on their next four possessions.
– With the lead at five points and the clock ticking under a minute, Beyer drilled a key 3-pointer. UIC answered with a triple seconds later before the Beacons ran down the shot clock and got a basket from Maci Rhoades to ice the game.
– The win snapped a three-game winning streak for UIC in the series, while it was just the second time the Beacons have prevailed over the Flames in eight attempts since UIC joined the Valley.
– The 51 points marked UIC’s lowest output of the season.
– Earnest registered her seventh double-double of the campaign as she led all players with 15 points and a season-best 13 rebounds. She was one off her season high as well with a game-high five assists.
– Earnest is the only MVC player this season to reach 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the same game. The last MVC player to do so? Also Earnest, last season in the home win over Bradley. The last MVC player to have a line like that who isn’t named Leah Earnest was Missouri State’s Kennedy Taylor on Feb. 4, 2023.
– Earnest was one of three Beacons to score in double figures Thursday. Jackson hit the 10-point mark for the 16th time this season with a 14-point night, while Beyer had her seventh double-digit output of the season with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
– Valpo cooled off from the 3-point line after the opening 10-plus minutes, as after hitting 7-of-9 to open the game, the Beacons were just 1-of-14 from deep the rest of the night. Valpo was solid inside throughout, finishing with a 46% overall clip from the floor as it hit 15-of-27 from 2-point range.
– The Beacons also committed just 14 turnovers Thursday night, their lowest mark in the last seven games.
– Valpo limited UIC to 34.5% shooting from the floor. The Flames went just 2-for-17 from deep, the worst mark by a Valpo opponent since Southern Illinois hit just 1-of-14 from 3-point range in the Valley opener.
…versus Murray State
– Valpo kept the nation’s third-highest scoring offense off the board for nearly seven minutes to start the game, as the Racers began 0-for-8 from the field with five turnovers.
– After a 9-0 start, the lead became a double-figure advantage at 13-3 on a Nevaeh Jackson basket with 2:18 to play in the period, and less than a minute later, consecutive buckets by Katie Beyer pushed the lead to 17-3.
– The Racers scored the final five points of the first quarter to make it 17-8 10 minutes in, and continued their run spanning the periods with the first five points of the second quarter.
– MSU came back to tie the game at 24-24 just prior to the midway point of the period.
– Leah Earnest answered with six consecutive points to restore the lead to the Beacons. Valpo led for the remainder of the half and carried a 37-34 lead into the locker room.
– The Beacons went cold to start the second half, as they went just 1-for-12 from the field and committed eight turnovers in a five-point third quarter.
– Murray State took the lead for good 43 seconds into the second half and ended the third quarter with a 52-42 lead.
– Earnest connected on a pair of free throws on the first possession of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight, but the Racers went on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to pull away.
– Valpo held Murray State, which entered the game third nationally averaging 87.9 points/game, to just 77 points — only UIC has limited the Racers to fewer points within MVC play.
– The Beacons shot 44.4% from the field Sunday, but it was a tale of two halves, as after connecting on 14-of-24 (58.3%) over the opening 20 minutes, they were just 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
– Valpo ended the game just 2-for-12 from 3-point range. The 12 3-point attempts were the program’s fewest since attempting just 12 triples Dec. 19, 2021 at Morehead State. Meanwhile, MSU went 12-for-35 from deep.
– The Beacons did enjoy the free throw line Sunday, posting a season-best free throw percentage of 88.2% (15-for-17). Valpo has hit 70% or more of its free throws in each of the last eight games, four times eclipsing 80%.
– Turnovers were a bugaboo for the Beacons, as they coughed the ball up 28 times versus 18 miscues from the Racers. MSU held a 33-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
– Earnest finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe while also pacing Valpo with six rebounds. She was the only Beacon in double figures in scoring, however, as Beyer checked in next with eight points.
…looking ahead
– The Beacons return home to the ARC next weekend to take on Evansville and Indiana State.
– The matchup against the Sycamores next Sunday will be Valpo’s Senior Day, where they will honor Katie Beyer and Leah Earnest.
…on the road
– Sunday’s game is Valpo’s 14th contest of the year away from home.
– The Beacons picked up their two first true road wins of the year by sweeping Indiana State and Evansville on their last road trip, as they sit at 2-9 in true road games.
– Valpo is also 1-1 in neutral site games.
– With a win on Sunday, Valpo would pick up victories in three straight MVC road games for the third consecutive year.
@MoStateWBB
– Missouri State comes into Sunday’s game with a 19-5 overall record this year and tied atop the MVC standings with an 11-2 mark in Valley play.
– The Lady Bears’ lone losses in conference have come at UIC and at Illinois State – they have won three in a row since the latter defeat, most recently an 83-48 win at Southern Illinois Thursday evening.
– Four MSU players average in double figures, led by 12.1 points/game from Lacy Stokes, who also hands out 4.1 assists/game.
Quite the Turnaround
– Valpo’s nine-point win over UIC last time out was notable given the result when the two squads played last month in Chicago.
– That game ended 60-45 in UIC’s favor, meaning that the Beacons flipped the scoring margin 24 points from one matchup to the next.
– That marks the program’s largest shift from the first meeting of the season to the second meeting since the 2021-22 team fell to Indiana State by 20 the first time out before winning by five the second time around.
22×1,500
– Leah Earnest became just the third player in program history to hit 1,500 career points with a basket midway through the third quarter last time out against UIC.
– The basket also moved Earnest past Sarrah Stricklett for third on the Beacons’ career scoring chart.
– Earnest becomes the fifth active MVC player with 1,500 career points, joining Katelyn Young (MUR), Katie Dinnebier (DRA), Maya McDermott (UNI) and Jaida McCloud (UIC).
– Ending the game with 1,506 career points, a jump to second on the program’s career chart is a tough ask for Earnest, as Dani Franklin currently occupies that position with 1,721 points.
Spreading the Wealth
– Six different players combined for Valpo’s eight 3-pointers in its Thursday win over UIC, all six of whom connected on a triple in the first 10:20 of the game.
– It would have been seven players combining for nine triples had a 3-pointer originally ruled good for Mor Shabtai in the fourth quarter not been reversed upon review and deemed a shot clock violation.
– The Beacons were one shy of their season high for number of players hitting a 3-pointer, as seven different players connected from deep in the win over Trinity Christian.
– Valpo’s 11 triples in its win at Indiana State came from a number of sources, as five different players hit at least two triples apiece against the Sycamores.
– It marked the first time Valpo has had five players all hit multiple 3-pointers in the same game since Jan. 21, 2022, ironically also in a game against Indiana State.
Seven is Enough
– The name of the late-70s sitcom might have been Eight is Enough, but on Thursday for the Beacons, seven was enough.
– Valpo went just two-deep into its bench, with Fiona Connolly and Katie Beyer backing up the starting five.
– It was the first time Mary Evans has used just seven players in a game since the 2018-19 season, her first at the helm of the Valpo program – that year, Valpo ran with seven players on three occasions, most recently a 70-67 loss to Illinois State Feb. 3, 2019.
Looking to the Rim
– While the 3-point shot is still a big part of the Beacons’ offensive attack, the numbers show Valpo has been more intentional about getting shots at the basket this season.
– In MVC play, the Beacons have attempted 21.4 3-pointers per game, which accounts for just 41.3% of their field goal attempts.
– Both marks are on pace to be the lowest within MVC play in Mary Evans’ seven seasons at the helm – the 2022-23 team attempted 22.5 3-pointers/game in conference, while the 2019-20 team had 44.6% of its attempts from deep in Valley play.
– Notably, this year’s team is also on pace to be the first under Evans to attempt fewer 3-pointers than its opponents in conference – in fact, Valpo had not attempted more triples than its opponent in six consecutive games before trying 23 3-pointers to UIC’s 17 last time out.
– Against Murray State, Valpo took a season-low 12 3-point attempts – the program’s fewest 3-point attempts in a single game since attempting just 12 triples Dec. 19, 2021 at Morehead State.
20 Or More For 22
– Leah Earnest reached the 20-point mark yet again last Sunday, finishing with a game-high 21 points against Murray State (7-12 FG; 7-7 FT).
– It was the 10th time this year Earnest has tallied at least 20 points in a game.
– Notably, Earnest did not hit the 20-point mark in any of the first seven games this year, meaning she has 10 20-point efforts in the last 17 games.
– Highlights include a 29-point effort at Lehigh – the second-highest scoring game of her career – and a 27-point game on 10-of-16 shooting in the win over Bradley.
– Earnest scored 20+ in four consecutive games Dec. 21-Jan. 4, the first Valpo player to do so in at least 15 years – the last time a Valpo player had scored 20+ in even three straight games was Shay Frederick in the 2020-21 campaign.
– Earnest has the most 20-point games by a Valpo player in a single season since Michelle Russell has at least 12 in the 1993-94 season.
Others With 20/20 Vision
– Earnest is far from the only Beacon to hit the 20-point mark this season, however.
– In all, four Valpo players have combined for 16 games with 20 or more points – compare that to last year, when only two players broke the 20-point barrier in a combined nine games.
– Layla Gold joined Earnest in crossing the 20-point mark versus UDM, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Earlier this year, Gold more than doubled her previous career best of 11 points with a 23-point night – which included five 3-pointers – at Milwaukee.
– Nevaeh Jackson raced past her previous career high with 26 points at Saint Louis; this coming after 20-point performances earlier in the season in the win over Goshen and against Purdue Fort Wayne.
– Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.
An Eye on the Record Book
– As Leah Earnest’s career winds down, she is making an impact all over the program’s career records, and with the season she is having, she’ll look for spots on the team’s single-season charts as well.
Career
– Games played – 2nd, 137 (Caitlin Morrison, 1st, 141)
– Points – 3rd, 1,506 (Dani Franklin, 2nd, 1,721)
– Rebounds – 2nd, 819 (Tamra Braun, 1st, 870)
– Field goals made – 4th, 540 (Jeanette Gray, 3rd, 595)
– Free throws made – 4th, 331 (Betsy Rietema, 3rd, 341)
– Points per game – 11.0 (Jasmyn Walker, 10th, 11.1)
– Rebounds/game – t-7th, 6.0
– Field goal percentage – 9th, .466
Single-Season
– Points – 407 (10th, 456)
– Rebounds – 178 (10th, 244)
– Field goals made – 137 (10th, 165)
– Free throws made – 108 (10th, 109)
– Points/game – 7th, 17.0
– Free throw percentage – t-8th, .844
Winning With Defense
– Strong defensive efforts have been a common thread in the Beacons’ victories this season, and their last four wins over Bradley, Indiana State, Evansville and UIC have been no different.
– Valpo limited both Bradley and Evansville to 17 first-half points apiece in those victories – the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent at halftime since the Beacons went on the road and limited South Dakota to 17 first-half points on Dec. 10, 2021.
– The Braves scored in single digits in each of the first two quarters, while the Purple Aces hit just one field goal in a three-point second quarter – the lowest-scoring quarter by a Valpo opponent since it held Indiana State scoreless in the second period Feb. 8, 2020.
– Valpo allowed Bradley to shoot just 30.5% from the field – the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent this year and the second lowest by a D-I opponent over the last three seasons.
– Valpo wasn’t too far off either of those marks in the other two wins – the Beacons held the Sycamores to 21 first-half points and ISU shot just 33.3% for the game, while last time out, Valpo limited UIC to 24 first-half points and the Flames shot just 34.5%, including just 2-for-17 from 3-point range.
– It’s actually been quite simple if you look at it: when the Beacons have held their opponent under 60 points this year, they are 9-0; when Valpo’s opponent scores at least 60 points, the Beacons are 0-15.
Forcing Miscues
– The Beacons rank as the MVC’s best at forcing miscues, averaging 19.8 turnovers forced/game.
– The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they’ve committed in 15 of 24 games.
– Valpo also leads the MVC with 9.7 steals/game and has tallied double-figure steals in 12 games this year.
– Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games so far, highlighted by 29 forced turnovers against Detroit Mercy and 28 in the win at Evansville.
– The Beacons have racked up a season-best 15 steals in three of their victories, reaching the mark in wins over Goshen, Western Michigan and Evansville.
– In the win over North Dakota, Valpo turned the Fighting Hawks’ 26 turnovers into 33 points and held a massive 33-9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the program’s greatest number of points off turnovers and the highest edge in the category since a Feb. 22, 2020 win at Loyola, when Valpo forced 31 turnovers and owns a 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
No Sophomore Slump
– After ranking fourth on the team in scoring (7.2 points/game) as a rookie, sophomore Nevaeh Jackson has cemented herself as a consistent second scorer this season.
– Jackson has nearly doubled her scoring average, entering Sunday’s game second on the team with 12.5 points/game.
– Jackson has scored in double figures in 16 of 24 games, highlighted by her 26-point effort at Saint Louis.
Career Highs
– Five of Valpo’s seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season – the only returnees who haven’t are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.
– Joining the trio who had their first career 20-point efforts are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.
– Raye-Redmond smashed past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.
– Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty, and then against North Dakota, surpassed that again with a 16-point effort.
All-Tournament Honors
– Valpo had a pair of players recognized as All-Tournament Team honorees following the conclusion of the Christmas City Classic.
– Leah Earnest averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the Beacons’ two contests.
– Katie Beyer earned her selection by virtue of a strong 16-point performance, surpassing her career high, in the win over North Dakota.
Missing Pieces
– Valpo is down two starters for the remainder of the season due to injury.
– Saniya Jackson did not see any game action this year, undergoing successful knee surgery in early November.
– Raeven Raye-Redmond suffered a lower leg injury late in regulation Dec. 21 against Detroit Mercy and will miss the rest of the year as well.
UINDY SWIMMING
BUESSING’S DII RECORD HEADLINES MULTIPLE STANDOUTS FRIDAY AT GLVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
ELKHART, Ind. – The 2025 GLVC Swimming & Diving Championships continued Friday, with the University of Indianapolis notching five more event titles and three more school records. Senior standout Cedric Buessing etched his name is atop numerous record lists, as his time of 4:16.15 in the 500 free set a new NCAA Division II benchmark.
The annual conference meet, which is being held at Elkhart Health and Aquatics in Elkhart, Ind., concludes Saturday, with prelims starting at 10 a.m. ET.
In the team standings, the UIndy women sliced into the Drury lead and will enter the fifth and final day just 29 points back of the Panthers. The Greyhound men, meanwhile, currently sit in third place behind McKendree and Drury.
TEAM STANDINGS THRU DAY 3 (top 5 only)
WOMEN PTS MEN PTS
1. Drury 1460 1. McKendree 1275.5
2. UIndy 1431 2. Drury 1256
3. McKendree 853.5 3. UIndy 1019
4. Lewis 558 4. S&T 638
5. UMSL 543 5. Lewis 603.5
FRIDAY
Buessing’s historic performance was one of a number of memorable swims by the Greyhounds Friday night. UIndy amassed 13 medals in the evening’s 11 events, including a podium sweep in the women’s 100 back. Isabella Revstedt took gold in the event as one of four Greyhounds in the top five. Second through fifth place touched the wall within just .06 seconds of each other, with Caroline Reinke earning silver, Julia Magierowska bronze, and Mia Krstevska a hair behind in fifth.
The men’s 100 breaststroke had an intriguing finish as well. As they’ve done all season, roommates Brayden Cole and Jeremias Pock went head-to-head, but this time Cole bested Pock for the first time all year. Cole’s 51.97 broke Pock’s GLVC and school records and secured gold, while Pock finished right on his heels with a silver-medal-winning 52.08.
Celina Schmidt (100 breast) and Andrea Gomez (200 fly) also earned silver medals. The latter’s time of 1:57.61 broke her own school record.
In the diving well, Alexis Lumaj and Megan Sunderman went 1-2 for the second time this week, this time on the 3-meter board. Lumaj pulled away with an impressive point total of 521.05, setting a new UIndy and GLVC record.
Jamie Glover and Brynhildur Traustadottir took second and third, respectively, in the 500 free; Sharon Semchiy placed fifth in the 200 fly and Mattia Rossi won the B final of the 100 back. Both Semchiy (2:02.80) and Rossi (47.96) posted a No. 5-fastest time in program history.
The women’s 200 free relay team earned the ladies their second relay gold in three days. Kirabo Namutebi, Julia Magierowska Andrea Paaske and Isabella Revstedt combined for a time of 1:31.32, out-touching Drury’s fastest group by nearly a full second.
UINDY BASEBALL
STRONG SEVENTH INNING PROPELS HOUNDS TO WIN
WESTFIELD, IN – The No. 5 UIndy baseball team began its three-game weekend series against Lake Erie with a 6-0 win. The trio of Diego Cardenas, Austin Bestul and Frankie Klemm pitched a two-hit shutout for the Greyhounds.
The game was moved to Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, IN today due to unplayable field conditions at Greyhound Park.
INS & OUTS
UIndy’s Cardenas and Lake Erie’s Robert Helt had their arms dialed in today, both pitching shutouts with their starts, but both picking up no decisions in the contest.
The 2024 GLVC first-team honoree finished with 6.2 innings pitched with two hits and 10 strikeouts for the Hounds. This is only the second outing for Cardenas with double-digit strikeouts, the last coming against Quincy at Grand Park in 2024 when he had 11.
The bats didn’t come alive for the Hounds until their five run seventh inning. Chase Mason’s lead off home run put the Hounds up 1-0, which was followed by Easton Good’s two RBI triple, and Austin Bode’s RBI double to put the Hounds out in front 5-0 after seven innings.
Armen Torosian’s sac-fly to left field in the bottom of the eighth brought in the game’s final run, and closed out the Hounds dominating 6-0 victory in its first game of the season.
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds head over to Bishop Chatard High School on Saturday Feb. 15, to finish up the three-game series against Lake Erie with a doubleheader.
UINDY SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL FINISHES ROAD TRIP WITH TWO SHUTOUT WINS
TRIADELPHIA, W.V. – The No. 16 UIndy softball team wrapped up its trip to West Virginia Friday with a pair of shutout victories over West Liberty University. Cheyenne Eads and Jayden Casebolt combined to pitch 14 scoreless innings on the day, lifting the Greyhounds to wins of 6-0 and 2-0 over the Hilltoppers.
The games were contested indoors at the Highlands Sports Complex in Triadelphia, W.V., located a short drive from the West Liberty campus.
GAME 1 | UIndy 6, WLU 0
Twenty-four hours after tossing her first collegiate no-hitter, freshman Cheyenne Eads threw a complete-game shutout to even her record at 2-2 on the year. She racked up 11 strikeouts on the day, upping her total on the week to 23 Ks in 12 total innings.
UIndy snuck across the game’s first run with a double steal in the top of the first, with freshman leadoff hitter Sydney Oliver swiping home.
The Hounds took control with a four-run second inning, with Cara Cooper, Jocelyn Calvin and Brooklyn Willis earning RBIs. Ella Palm and Oliver both earned a base on balls and eventually came around to score.
Shelby Cook’s solo shot in the seventh capped the game’s scoring.
GAME 2 | UIndy 2, WLU 0
Game-two starter Jayden Casebolt (3-1) won the first pitchers’ duel of the road trip. The senior spun her first shutout of the season, limiting the Hilltoppers to five hits while striking out seven and allowing just one walk.
With Casebolt dealing, the Greyhounds pushed across the eventual game winner in the top of the third and later an insurance run in the seventh. Third-inning singles from Calvin and Eads and a hit by pitch from Palm loaded the bases for Cooper, who coaxed a walk to put the Hounds ahead. Eads later lifted a ball to center for a sac fly, scoring pinch runner Peyton Cusack with the final tally.
Maya Rodriguez and Emma Piercy had a single apiece, Oliver added a double, while Palm gunned down a would-be base stealer at second base in the fifth.
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds return to the Highlands Sports Complex tomorrow for a twin bill versus West Liberty University.
MARIAN WOMEN’S LAX
KNIGHTS FALL TO NO. 6 MISSOURI BAPTIST IN SEASON OPENER
St. Louis, Mo. – The Marian women’s lacrosse team opened their 2025 season traveling to St. Louis, Mo. to take on No. 6 Missouri Baptist. The Knights fell 9-13 to the Spartans. The Knights are now 0-1 on the year.
The Spartans opened up the first quarter with two unanswered goals before the 10 minute mark. The Knights took three shots on the quarter but were unsuccessful due to Missouri Baptist’s goalies defensive skills, ending the quarter with the 2-0 lead over Marian.
The Knights brought the heat into the second quarter with four unanswered goals in the first five minutes of play. Rylie Boezeman and Ella Grace Giedd each recorded a singular goal while Ruby Mason was able to secure two. Giedd, Lizzie Piercy, and Alex Dean were each able to tally an assist on three of the four goals. With Marian in the 4-2 lead Missouri Baptist was able to decrease the margin with a goal at the 8:14 mark. Giedd with the assist of Dean and Tori Farkas with the assist of Piercy fired back at the Spartans push with a goal each. The home team fired off one more goal before the end of the quarter to bring the score 6-4 in favor of Marian.
The Spartans dominated in the third quarter with four unanswered goals to draw the lead once more. The Knights fired off three shots, with three being a tad to wide and two being on target but couldn’t compete with Missouri Baptist’s defensive skills. The third quarter ended with a score of 8-6 in favor of the home team.
Much like every other quarter Missouri Baptist opened up with three goals to extend their 11-6 lead. Marian was able to fire back with an unassisted goal from Dean, a goal for Giedd off of a free position shot, and a goal from Boezman with the assist from Mason to bring the deficit down to two. Missouri Baptist was able to have the last strike scoring two more goals to end the game 13-9 and secure the victory over Marian.
Offensively Ella Grace Giedd led the team in goals with three while Ruby Mason and Rylie Boezeman had two. Tori Farkas and Alex Dean each had a goal as well. Dean and Mason led the team in shots with seven each. Dean also led the team in assists with Piercy where they both claimed a pair. Defensively Dean led the team in ground ball recoveries with five and caused turnovers with three. Mason led the team in draw controls as well with three.
Marian will be back in action tomorrow as they take on No. 5 Benedictine in Atchison, Kan. tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
MARIAN BASEBALL
MARIAN SWEPT BY NO. 5 CUMBERLANDS IN FRIDAY TWIN BILL
Williamsburg, Ky. – The Marian baseball team suffered two losses on Friday afternoon, as the fifth-ranked Cumberlands Patriots took down Marian in twice in their doubleheader. Marian falls to 2-3 on the young season after the pair of games.
Game 1 | Marian 2-17 No. 5 Cumberlands | 7 Innings
The Patriots backed their top-five NAIA ranking against Marian, sending home three runs in the third inning and another six in the fourth to put the Knights in an early hole in the game. Davis Enfield was charged with two earned runs in the first inning as an error helped bring in a Patriot runner, but threw a strong second frame with a pair of strikeouts. Enfield struck out two more in the third, giving up a solo home run in the inning to fall behind 4-0.
The starter would exit after allowing a one-out walk in the fourth inning, and relieve Logan Drook was unable to pickup his teammate, surrendering a home run against his first batter. Drook would be charged with four more runs before the inning ended, as Jayson Cottrell was called on to end the inning and record the final out.
Marian’s offense could not get going in game one, going down in order in the first two innings of play. Hector Corona provided a spark in the top of the third as he was hit by a pitch, eventually reaching third on a Elijah Kelly single and fielder’s choice, however a strikeout would end the threat. The Knights left two more men on base in the fifth as they trailed 10-0, and by the completion of the inning the Patriots would tack on two more to their lead.
The Knights plated their lone runs in the game in the top of the sixth inning, with Zach Bale recording his second home run of the season, driving in Cole McManus with the blast. The scoring would come to an end after the inning’s conclusion with a two-out double from Corona stranded on base, and in the home half Cumberlands put the finishing touches on the game by charging home five runs on the bullpen. Two more Knights were stranded in the top of the seventh, ending the game in the 17-2 run-rule defeat.
Corona was a bright-spot in the loss, going 2-2 at the plate while reaching base in each of his three plate appearances. Bale drove home both runs in the loss, and McManus went 1-3 at the plate with a walk. Enfield (1-1) was charged the loss in the game, yielding four earned runs and five total on four hits. The senior would lead the team with five strikeouts.
Game 2 | Marian 3-8 No. 5 Cumberlands
The Knights pounced first in game two, aiming to wash the loss from their mouth’s as a Johnny Roeder RBI single in the top of the second drove in the first score. The lead was backed early by starter Chris Adams, as the fourth-year Knight pitched a scoreless first inning as he worked around two runners reaching base, and the second inning concluded with his third strikeout of the day.
Marian held their lead through three complete innings as the Patriots left two runners on base in the home half, but in the fourth Adams began to lose his command as a lead-off single charged a Cumberlands rally. Two walks and a hit batter plated the Patriots first run of the game, while a three-run, one-out triple from Christian Thompson drove home three more to end Adams’ afternoon. Cumberlands would tack on one more run against reliever Seth Hogg before the inning’s conclusion, building a 5-1 lead.
In the fifth inning the Knights chopped back at their deficit, scoring two runs on a Kameron Salazar single to center field. Johnny Roeder and Callum Gick scored on the RBI hit, putting Marian within two runs. Dawson Estep would single and Zach Bale followed with a walk, however a strikeout ended the inning with Marian leaving the bases loaded in a 5-3 deficit.
A solo home run in the bottom of the fifth would extend the Patriot lead, while a run scored in both the seventh and eighth innings would seal Marian’s fate as Cumberlands took an 8-3 advantage. Marian was retired in order in innings six through eight, but made one final rally in the ninth, as Josh Lamb and Elijah Kelly reached base with two outs, but a strikeout would end the game, sealing the contest.
Marian had seven base hits in the loss, with Roeder poking two singles in the game. Jacob Dill had Marian’s lone extra base hit with his fifth inning double. Adams (0-1) lasted 3.1 innings and recorded four strikeouts, allowing three hits and five runs in the loss. Seth Hogg allowed one run and four hits in 2.2 innings of relief, and Damien Wallace and Eli Loichinger would surrender one run each in their inning on the mound.
Marian is scheduled to return to the diamond next weekend against Oakland City University, taking on the Mighty Oaks in a four-game set. The series is currently scheduled to be played on Friday and Saturday in Southern Indiana.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Feb. 15
1932 — Eddie Eagen, as a member of the four-man U.S. bobsled team, wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. He previously won a gold medal in boxing light heavyweight division at the 1920 Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
1936 — Sonja Henie of Norway, wins her third consecutive Olympics figure skating gold medal in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
1953 — Tenley Albright becomes the first American woman to win a world figure skating title beating Germany’s Gundi Busch at the World Championships in Davos, Switzerland.
1964 — Ken Hubbs, the 22-year-old Chicago Cubs second baseman, dies when his private plane crashes in Utah. The 1962 NL Rookie of the Year had his pilot’s license for two weeks and was flying in bad weather.
1974 — Boston’s Phil Esposito scores his 1,000th point with an assist in the Bruins’ 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
1978 — Leon Spinks wins a 15-round split decision over Muhammad Ali to take the world heavyweight title at Las Vegas.
1980 — Rookie Wayne Gretzky ties the NHL record with seven assists in a game and sets a scoring record for first-year players in Edmonton’s 8-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.
1986 — A crowd of 44,180, at the time the largest to attend an NBA game, turned out at the Pontiac Silverdome to watch the Pistons beat the Sixers 134-133 in overtime.
1994 — Kentucky makes one of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history with a 99-95 victory over LSU after trailing by 31 points with 15:30 to play.
1994 — Freshman Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in an NCAA or NAIA game. The left-hander pitches a complete-game for Southern California College, allowing five hits in the Vanguards’ 12-1 win over Claremont-Mudd.
1995 — Charlie Standish sets a PBA record by rolling three perfect games in the first round of the Peoria Open bowling tournament. Standish rolls the 300s in the second, fourth and sixth games of the six-game round and at one point has 23 consecutive strikes.
1998 — Dale Earnhardt takes the Daytona 500 on his 20th try and ends a 59-race winless streak on the day NASCAR begins celebrating its 50th anniversary.
2000 — Martin Brodeur becomes first goaltender in NHL history to get credit for a “game winning” goal as New Jersey wins, 4-2 over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
2002 — The worst judging scandal in Winter Olympics history is resolved, with Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier declared co-gold medalists with the Russian winners.
2004 — Dale Earnhardt Jr. barrels past Tony Stewart to win the Daytona 500 on the same track that claimed his father’s life three years ago. Junior wins this race in his fifth try, the same race that bedeviled his later father for 19 years.
2007 — Joe Sakic scores twice, including his 600th career goal, and adds three assists and Milan Hejduk has three goals to lead Colorado to a 7-5 win at Calgary.
2010 — American Seth Wescott defends his Olympic title in Vancouver, British Columbia, overtaking Canada’s Mike Robertson to win the gold medal in the wild sport of men’s snowboardcross. Didier Defago wins the gold in the Olympic downhill and American Bode Miller breaks his personal streak of major championship mishaps by taking the bronze.
2013 — Ted Ligety becomes the first man in 45 years to win three gold medals at a skiing world championships. French great Jean-Claude Killy took home four golds in 1968. Ligety wins giant slalom by a massive margin for his third gold. Earlier in the championships held in Schladming, Austria, Ligety won the super-G and super-combined — both events he had never won on the World Cup circuit.
2014 — Renaud Lavillenie breaks Sergei Bubka’s 21-year-old indoor pole vault world record in Donetsk, Ukraine. Lavillenie clears the bar comfortably at 6.16 meters (20 feet, 2 1/2 inches) in Bubka’s home city, almost to the day the pole vault great cleared achieved 6.15 (20-2) on Feb. 21, 1993.
2018 – German figure skaters Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot set new ISU best free skating score of 159.31 on their way to pairs gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
2024 — Caitlin Clark becomes the NCAA Division I women’s career scoring leader in a game for Iowa against Michigan, scoring a career-high 49 points.
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Feb. 16
1961 — Elgin Baylor of Los Angeles scores 57 points to lead the Lakers over the Detroit Pistons 129-106.
1967 — Rick Barry of the San Francisco Warriors scores 52 points against Chicago at Fresno for his second consecutive 50-point game.
1969 — Alex Delvecchio of the Detroit Red Wings gets his 1,000th point with an assist in a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
1970 — Joe Frazier retains his world heavyweight title with a fifth-round knockout of Jimmy Ellis.
1972 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Los Angeles Lakers becomes the first player in NBA history to reach the 30,000 point mark during a 110-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
1989 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores 27 of his 50 points in the fourth quarter, to lead the Bulls to a 117-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
1992 — Martina Navratilova becomes the career singles titles leader by beating Jana Novotna in three sets in the final of the Virginia Slims of Chicago. Navratilova, with her 158th career singles championship, passes Chris Evert, who retired in 1989.
1992 — Chicago’s Michel Goulet becomes the 17th NHL player to score 500 goals, getting one in the first period of the Blackhawks’ 5-5 tie with Calgary.
1994 — John Stockton hands out 12 assists in Utah’s 103-99 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers to become the third guard in NBA history (joining Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson) to reach 9,000 career assists.
1997 — Jeff Gordon, 25, becomes the youngest winner of the Daytona 500 after Dale Earnhardt crashes 12 laps from the end to prolong his Daytona 500 jinx.
2001 — Philadelphia coach Larry Brown earns his 1,000th professional win, including his ABA record. Brown, 1,000-707 overall, ranks third on the career list behind Toronto’s Lenny Wilkens and Miami’s Pat Riley. Allen Iverson’s 42 points leads the 76ers to a 108-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
2009 — Harness driver Brian Sears drives seven winners on the Presidents Day afternoon card at the Meadowlands. The last driver to win seven races on a 10-race card at the Meadowlands was John Campbell on Feb. 3, 1983.
2013 — American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the youngest woman in 39 years to win the slalom title at the world alpine championships held in Schladming, Austria. At the age of 17 years, 340 days, Shiffrin edges local hope Michaela Kirchgasser. The only slalom world champions younger than Shiffrin were Hanni Wenzel of Liechtenstein in 1974 and Esme Mackinnon of Britain in 1931.
2014 – American Bode Miller (36) becomes the oldest medalist in Olympic alpine skiing history when he ties for bronze in the super-G in Sochi
2017 — Lowell Bailey upsets the pre-race favorites in the men’s individual competition to become the first American biathlete to win gold at the world championships. Bailey beats out Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic and three-time world champion Martin Fourcade of France.
2017 — Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby feeds Chris Kunitz for a first-period goal against Winnipeg to become the 86th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He adds an assist on Phil Kessel’s game-tying goal in the third and then puts the winner past Connor Hellebuyck with 21 seconds left in overtime as the Penguins escaped with a 4-3 victory.
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Feb. 17
1923 — Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators becomes the NHL’s career scoring leader. He scores his 143rd goal to surpass Joe Malone in a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
1924 — Johnny Weissmuller sets a world record in the 100-yard freestyle swim with a time of 52.4 seconds.
1926 — Suzanne Lenglen beats Helen Wills 6-3, 8-6 in Cannes, France, in their only tennis match against each other.
1928 — Sweden’s Gillis Grafstrom successfully defends his 1920 and 1924 Olympic figure skating title, with Austrian Willy Bockl finishing in second place as he did four years earlier.
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Gus Dorazio in the second round in Philadelphia to defend his world heavyweight title.
1955 — Mike Souchak establishes the PGA 72-hole scoring record with a 257 at the Texas Open. Souchak starts with a record-tying 60 at San Antonio’s Brackenridge Park course and ends with a 27-under-par, beating the previous low for a 72-hole event by two shots.
1968 — The Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield, Mass.
1974 — Richard Petty wins his second straight Daytona 500. It’s the fifth Daytona 500 title for Petty, who also won in 1964, 1966, 1971 and 1973.
1992 — Raisa Smetanina wins a gold medal with the Unified Team in the 20-kilometer cross-country relay to set the career Winter Olympics medal record with 10. Smetanina, 39, also becomes the oldest champion and the first to win a medal in five straight Winter Games.
1994 — San Antonio’s David Robinson records the fourth quadruple-double in NBA history with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks in the Spurs’ 115-96 win over Detroit.
1998 — The U.S. women’s hockey team wins the sport’s first Olympic gold medal. Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with 8 seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada.
2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics. It’s the first time since 1984 that the U.S won gold and silver in a women’s Alpine event.
2013 — Danica Patrick wins the Daytona 500 pole, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race.
2014 — Meryl Davis and Charlie White win the gold medal in ice dance, the first Olympic title in the event for the U.S..
2018 — Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu becomes the first man to successfully defend his Olympic figure skating title since Dick Button in 1952.
2020 – 62nd Daytona 500: Denny Hamlin wins second straight title by 0.014 seconds over Ryan Blaney on the second restart in overtime; his third Daytona victory
Feb. 18
1924 — Theresa Weld Blanchard wins her sixth and final U.S. figure skating championship. Sherwin Badger captures his fifth straight and final men’s title.
1928 — Sonja Henie, 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating champion. She easily beats Fritzi Burger of Austria and Beatrix Loughran of the U.S.
1932 — Sonja Henie wins her sixth straight world title.
1951 — Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan orders the arrest of three City College basketball players on bribery charges and two professional gamblers and two intermediaries in a game-fixing scandal involving college teams across the country.
1961 — Bob Pettit of St. Louis scores a career-high 57 points in a 141-138 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
1964 — Wilt Chamberlain scores 52 points against Detroit, his second consecutive 50-point game.
1972 — Randy Smith of Buffalo plays the first of what would become 906 consecutive games, an NBA record which took more than 11 full seasons to accomplish.
1981 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores five goals and adds two assists to lead the Oilers over the St. Louis Blues 9-2.
1986 — San Antonio’s Alvin Robertson records the second quadruple-double in NBA history, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in the Spurs’ 120-114 win over Phoenix.
1990 — Dale Earnhardt blows a tire with one mile remaining in the Daytona 500, giving Derrike Cope the biggest upset in stock car racing history.
1992 — Italy’s Alberto Tomba wins the giant slalom in Albertville, France, to become the first Alpine skier to win the same event at two Winter Olympics.
1995 — Utah guard John Stockton becomes the first NBA player with 10,000 assists in a 108-98 victory over the Boston Celtics.
2001 — Dale Earnhardt, the greatest stock car star of his era, is killed in a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 as he tries to protect Michael Waltrip’s victory.
2006 — Shani Davis becomes the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics, capturing the 1,000-meter speedskating race. Joey Cheek makes it a 1-2 American finish, adding a silver to his victory in the 500 at the Turin Games.
2010 — Evan Lysacek becomes the first U.S. man to win the Olympic gold medal since Brian Boitano in 1988, shocking everyone with an upset of defending champion Evgeni Plushenko.
2012 — Shenneika Smith’s 3-pointer from the wing with 8 seconds left lifts St. John’s to a 57-56 win over No. 2 Connecticut, ending the Huskies’ 99-game home court winning streak. It’s the Huskies’ first home loss to an unranked opponent in nearly 19 years.
2013 — Brittney Griner scores 25 points, including the 3,000th of her career, to help No. 1 Baylor rally past third-ranked Connecticut 76-70.
2017 — Mikaela Shiffrin wins a third straight slalom title at the world championships to retain her unbeaten record at major events.
2022 – Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway wins his 4th biathlon gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics when he takes out the men’s mass start.
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Feb. 19
1928 — Canada wins the gold medal in ice hockey at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Canada, represented by the 1926 Toronto University team, receives a bye to the final round. The Canadians beat Sweden 11-0, Britain 14-0 and Switzerland 13-0.
1955 — Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 10-2 victory over the New York Rangers.
1977 — Rod Gilbert of the New York Rangers gets his 1,000th career point with a goal in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
1982 — Atlanta’s 127-122 four-overtime win over Seattle equals the fourth-longest game in NBA history and the second-longest since the institution of the 24-second clock.
1984 — Phil and Steve Mahre of the United States become the first brothers to finish 1-2 in an Olympic event, the men’s slalom, at the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union beats Czechoslovakia 2-0 to win the gold medal in hockey.
1984 — Cale Yarborough sweeps into the lead two turns before the finish to win the Daytona 500. He becomes the second driver to win consecutive Daytona 500s; Richard Petty was the other.
1993 — Wendel Suckow edges two-time world champion Georg Hackl of Germany by 0.106 seconds to capture the first world luge championship medal of any kind for the United States.
1994 — Speedskater Bonnie Blair wins the fourth gold of her Olympic career with her third consecutive 500-meter victory.
2002 — In Salt Lake City, bobsledders Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers give the United States 21 medals in the Winter Games. Flowers becomes the first black athlete in history to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
2005 — Lindsay Kennedy becomes the first woman to play in a Major Indoor Soccer League game. Kennedy, a St. Louis forward, participates in the final 76 seconds of Milwaukee’s 7-3 win over the Steamers at Savvis Center.
2005 — Schreiner ends its NCAA-record losing streak at 83 games, beating Sul Ross State 75-69 in a women’s basketball game. It’s the Division III Mountaineers first win since Jan. 17, 2002, when they also beat Sul Ross.
2012 — American star Hannah Kearney’s all-discipline record for consecutive FIS World Cup victories ends at 16 with a semifinal loss in a dual moguls event at Naeba, Japan. Kearney’s streak began in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Jan. 22, 2011.
2012 — Steven Holcomb and brakeman Steve Langton win the two-man bobsled in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first time the U.S. captures this event at the world championships.
2014 — Norway wins the first Olympic mixed relay in biathlon at the Sochi Games and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen becomes the most decorated Winter Olympian ever with 13 medals. Ted Ligety wins the giant slalom with a dominating performance, becoming the first American man to win two Olympic gold medals in Alpine skiing.
2017 — Laura Dahlmeier wins the world title in the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start, becoming the first to win five gold medals at a single biathlon world championship.
2017 — Anthony Davis scores 52 points, 10 more than Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star record that had stood for 55 years. The Western Conference beats the Eastern Conference 192-182 in the highest-scoring game in league history.
2021 – In a softening of 4-year WADA ban on Russia from all international sport, Russia to compete under acronym “ROC” after name of the Russian Olympic Committee.
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Feb. 20
1887 — The International Association, the first minor league baseball association, is organized in Pittsburgh.
1951 — The college point-shaving scandal prompts Long Island University to drop basketball and all other intercollegiate sports. LIU revives basketball in 1957.
1971 — En route to a record 76-goal season, Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes the first player to score his 50th goal in February, but the Bruins lose to the Los Angeles Kings 5-4.
1972 — Larry Brown of the Denver Rockets sets ABA records for assists in a game (23), half (18) and quarter (10) during a 146-123 home win over the Pittsburgh Condors.
1974 — Gordie Howe, the NHL’s career scoring leader, comes out of retirement and signs a $1 million, four-year contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the WHA and sons Mark and Marty.
1976 — Muhammad Ali beats Jean-Pierre Coopman with a fifth-round knockout at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico to defend his world heavyweight title.
1988 — In Calgary, Alberta, Brian Boitano of the U.S. wins the Olympic figure skating gold medal on a technical merit tiebreaker and nearly flawless free skate.
1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez records a fifth-round TKO over Greg Haugen in a WBC super lightweight title bout before a record crowd of 130,000 at Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium.
1998 — Tara Lipinski, 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating champion, beating fellow teen and U.S. teammate Michelle Kwan to take the gold. Lipinski is two months younger than Sonja Henie was in her 1928 victory.
2006 — Tanith Belbin and partner Ben Agosto end the U.S. medals drought in Olympic ice dance competition with a silver. The last to do so were Colleen O’Connor and James Millns, who won bronze in 1976.
2009 — Lindsey Van of the U.S. becomes the first female ski jumping world champion. Women’s ski jumping makes its debut at this year’s Nordic world championships in the Czech Republic. Todd Lodwick wins the opening Nordic combined event to give the U.S. two golds in one day. Before Van’s victory, the U.S. had not won a gold at a Nordic worlds since 2003 when Johnny Spillane took a Nordic combined sprint.
2010 — Switzerland’s Simon Ammann wins the large hill at the Vancouver Games to become the first ski jumper with four individual Olympic titles.
2011 — Trevor Bayne, 20, wins the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race, in only his second Sprint Cup start.
2011 — Kobe Bryant wins his record-tying fourth All-Star game MVP award, scoring 37 points before his hometown fans and leading the West past the East 148-143.
2016 — Lindsey Vonn clinches a record 20th World Cup crystal globe title and surpasses Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. It’s Vonn’s record eighth downhill title. Stenmark won 19 globes between 1975 and 1984.
2021 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Naomi Osaka of Japan wins her 4th major and second Australian title; beats American Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3.
2022 – Hannah Green of Australia becomes first woman to win a mix-gender golf tournament over 72 holes; closes with 5-under 66 for a 4-stroke win in TPS Murray River on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
FEBRUARY 15
1931 Crescent Lake Field, the Yankees’ spring training site since 1925, is renamed Miller Huggins Field in honor of the team’s late manager, who passed away at the end of the 1929 season. In 1963, the facility will become known as Huggins-Stengel Field to honor another Bronx Bomber skipper, Casey Stengel, the National League’s expansion team pilot, presently working out in the St. Petersburg ballpark.
1946 The Phillies hire the first female major league scout when they sign Edith Houghton, who will ink fifteen players, mostly from Philadelphia high schools, to contracts. The North Philadelphia native continues to scour the Philly area for local talent until 1952 before returning to the Navy to serve her country during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
(Ed. Note: Although Edith Houghton is given credit as the first paid female scout, Bessie Largent and her husband, Roy, worked as a team for the White Sox in that capacity beginning in 1925, signing 25 major leaguers, the most distinguished being Hall of Fame shortstop Luke Appling. -LP)
1946 Three days before he marries New York department store heiress, Coral Gimbel, Hank Greenberg comes to terms with the Tiger, signing a contract for $60,000. After leading the American League in home runs (44) and RBIs (127) this season, the slugging first baseman threatens to retire rather than take a pay cut, prompting Detroit to trade the future Hall of Famer to the Pirates.
1961 Donald M. Grant, chairman and a minority owner of the Mets, offers Branch Rickey a contract to become the general manager of the new National League expansion team. After the former Browns, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Pirates GM turns down the job, George Weiss, who filled the same role with the Yankees from 1947 to 1960, accepts the position.
1973 In a national poll, Phillies’ southpaw Steve Carlton beats out golf legend Jack Nicklaus to win the $15,000 diamond-studded gold buckled Hickok Belt, an award given to the top “Professional Athlete of the Year.” Last season’s National League Cy Young Award winner joins an elite list of previous recipients, including Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Jim Brown, Rocky Marciano, and Arnold Palmer.
1990 With the issue of the implementation of the salary cap unresolved, a thirty-two-day lockout begins when major league owners refuse to open spring training camp without reaching a new Basic Agreement with the players. The season will be delayed one week due to baseball’s seventh work stoppage and will need to be extended for three days to accommodate the 162-game schedule.
2001 After turning down the Mets’ offer of salary arbitration that at the very least would have been worth $2 to $3 million, Bobby Jones signs a one-year free-agent deal with the Padres for only $625,000. The 31-year-old right-hander, 11-6 last year with New York, will lose 19 games for the Padres this season.
2003 After the Japanese Central League’s Dragons release Kevin Millar for an undisclosed payment, the Red Sox, who blocked the Marlins’ sale of him going to Japan with a waiver claim, acquire the 31-year-old first baseman-outfielder (.306, 16, 57). In a complicated deal brokered by MLB, Florida repaid the money Chunichi had paid for Millar, who previously turned down the opportunity to stay in the United States, and Boston compensated the National League team with a similar amount in return for Millar.
2006 According to Adam Katz, Sammy Sosa’s agent, the 37-year-old slugger will probably retire eleven homers shy of becoming the fifth major leaguer to hit 600 round-trippers. Earlier, the Dominican outfielder rejected a non-guaranteed contract from the Nationals, including performance bonuses.
2006 Former Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver (14-11, 4.22) agrees to a one-year contract with the other team with Los Angeles in its name. The deal for the last major player left on the free-agent market is worth $8,325,000, and the 29-year-old right-hander can earn an additional $600,000 in performance bonuses for innings pitched and game starts with the Angels.
2007 After more than two months of speculation about Barry Bonds’ deal with the Giants, the commissioner’s office approves the one-year contract worth $15.8 million. The 42-year-old slugger had reached a preliminary agreement with the team early in December, but finalizing the contract was delayed when language about promotional appearances and an additional clause stating San Francisco could void the deal with the outfielder if the alleged use of steroids leads to an indictment.
2007 The Yankees announce the team will wear black armbands on the left sleeve of their uniforms in memory of teammate Cory Lidle. The 34-year-old right-hander and flight instructor Tyler Stanger died when their plane crashed into a 52-story high-rise apartment building in Manhattan on a rain-swept afternoon last October.
2011 Barack Obama bestows the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Stan Musial, an award for which the president of the United States selects the honorees. The Cardinals’ legend, who benefitted from the local grass-roots effort on his behalf, joins major leaguers Hank Aaron, Moe Berg, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, and Ted Williams as a recipient of the most prestigious honor given to a United States civilian.
2012 The Rays and Joe Maddon agree to a three-year contract extension to keep the two-time American League Manager of the Year with Tampa through the 2015 season. During his six-year tenure with the club, the 58-year-old skipper has compiled a 495-477 (.509) record, leading the team to the postseason three times in the last four years, including an American League pennant in 2008.
2016 “Baseball is known as our national pastime, but the game has deep roots and a rich history here in New York State. From the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in storied Cooperstown to the Mets and Yankees — the pinnacles of Major League Baseball, to our recently crowned Little League World Series champions from Maine-Endwell, New York State is clearly the epicenter of baseball greatness. It is time that we formally recognize baseball as our official state sport.” – JAMES SEWARD, New York state senator.
New York State Sen. James Seward (R-Milford), thanks to a suggestion from a group of fourth-graders at Cooperstown Elementary School, announces he has introduced legislation (S.4288) to designate baseball as New York’s official state sport. In a press release, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson says he “enthusiastically supports” the proposed bill, citing that Cooperstown is baseball’s spiritual home.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
21- 43 – 99 – 9 – 35
February 15, 1916 – The rights to Frank Homerun Baker were purchased by the New York Yankees from the Philadelphia Athletics for at the time a whopping $37,500.
February 15, 1976 – There was a thrilling finish to the Daytona 500 on the final lap, as there was a race to the finish line between the Number 43, STP Dodge Charger of Richard Petty and David Pearson in the white Mercury Number 21. Pearson made contact with Petty and it slung the pair into the wall and the infield. Petty’s car stalled out but Pearson was able to get back on the track and took the checkered flag to victory lane.
February 15, 1980 – Wayne Gretzky, Number 99 of the Edmonton Oilers registered 7 assists in an 8-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. The feat of the young center tied and NHL record and remember the Great One was only 19 years old at the time and still cutting his teeth at Hockey’s highest level.
February 15, 1980 – Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey, wearing his famed Number 9 sweater, scored the 799th goal of his illustrious career while skating for the Hartford Whalers.
February 15, 1981 – Richard Petty, Number 43 records victory at the Daytona 500 by beating Bobby Allison to the finish line by a mere 3-1/2 seconds!
February 15, 1994 – Pittsburgh Penguin Goalie Tom Barrasso, Number 35 becomes winningest U. S. born goalie in NHL history, as he and his Penguin teammates won, 5-3 over the visiting Winnipeg Jets. The record previously belonged to Frank Brimsek with 252.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
February 15, 1929 – A new sporting goods company is founded. The Riddell Company was established by John T. Riddell, a high school football coach and Athletic Director who started by making better, safer football cleats. Then, he became a pioneer in athletic safety equipment. According to the Riddell Company’s website, John T. created the removable cleat in 1922. Riddell is quoted on the website: “When we started, there was no game history. In wet weather, players have a foot problem. Leather cleats nailed to the bottom of a shoe just won’t cut it. And if the local cobbler is too busy to fix them, it’s “Sorry Boys.” This necessity prompted Coach Riddell into action and eventually led to the formation of the company that bears his name. Today, Riddell equipment is found on almost every gridiron field; helmets, shoulder pads, and accessories are designed to keep players safe.
February 15, 1996 – NFL legendary Head Coach Bill Belichick is fired by the Cleveland Browns franchise. Coach B. finished his Browns coaching career with a record of 36-44.
February 15, 1903 – Midland, Ontario, Canada – The great Southern Cal Quarterback of yesteryear, Morley Drury arrived into this life. More on his story by clicking his name.
February 15, 1920 – Lawrence, Massachusetts – Harvard’s solid Guard Endicott Peabody was born. Read more about him by clicking his name.
February 15, 1931 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – John Michels the stellar guard from the University of Tennessee gained his born-on date. John was one of the starting guards for the Vols from 1950 through the 1952 season according to the FootballFoundation.org website. John was a three-time letter winner, two-time all-conference selection, and in 1952, consensus All-America. That year he also won the Jacobs Trophy as the best blocker in the Southeastern Conference. John Michels received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
February 15, 1935 – Trenton, Tennessee – The quick tackle from Mississippi, Gene Hickerson arrived into this life. Gene was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1957 so that Coach Paul Brown could use his quickness as a guard to employ some innovative blocking schemes to open up holes for the great Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Bobby Mitchell. Hickerson was voted as an All-Pro in five consecutive seasons and played in 6 Pro Bowl games. In 2007 the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Gene Hickerson into their Canton, Ohio museum.
February 15, 1940 – Lawrence, Kansas – John Hadl the outstanding halfback/quarterback that played for the University of Kansas from 1959 to 1961 was born. The NFF’s online bio of Hadl recounts that he made a 98-yard interception return against Texas Christian, a 97-yard kickoff return against Syracuse, and a 94-yard punt against Oklahoma. His punting average for the season, 45.6 yards, led the nation. He played halfback in 1960 and was voted as an All-American at the position, and moved to quarterback in 1961 and made All-America again from there! John Hadl was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.
February 15, 1957 – Bremerton, Washington – Marc Wilson who was under center for the BYU teams of the late 1970s celebrates his date of birth. The National Football Foundation posts that in Marc’s first game as a starter, he threw 7 touchdown passes in a 63-17 triumph over Colorado State. Later that season he set an NCAA record at the time by tossing for 571 passing yards against Utah. In 1979 Wilson was a unanimous All-America and was named Player of the Year by the Seattle Touchdown Club and the Miami Touchdown Club. The NFF voters selected Marc Wilson for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Marc enjoyed an eleven year career in the NFL with both the Raiders and the Patriots.
February 15, 1957 – High Point, North Carolina – The fleet footed halfback from North Carolina State Ted Brown was born. The NFF tells that Brown still holds the ACC’s career records for his 4602 yards rushing and 51 touchdowns. Ted was selected as a 1978 consensus First-Team All-America and he helped lead N.C. State to three straight bowl games. Ted Brown received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College FOotball Hall of Fame in 2013.
February 15, 1960 – Houston, Texas – Darrell Green the speedy ball hawking cornerback from Texas A&I was born. Green was able to cover receivers from the line of scrimmage, eliminating the short pass, confident that his speed would allow him to recover on deep patterns per the NFF. Darrell was a first team All-America in 1982 and was the Most Valuable Player in the Lone Star Conference. The National Football Foundation selected Darrell Green for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. The Washington Redskins used their first round pick in the 1983 NFL to choose Darrell to play for the franchise. Green spent his amazing 20 year NFL career in D.C. and set an NFL record of having a pick in 19 straight seasons in the League. His great foot speed and technique led him to pick off 56 career NFL passes and return six of them for scores along with 621 return yards and 611 punt return yards. Darrell still holds the record for the Washington franchise’s longest fumble return for a score of 78 yards. He was a four time All-Pro and played in 7 Pro Bowls. In 2008 the Pro Football Hall of Fame gave Darrell Green a much deserved Gold Jacket and a bronze bust in Canton.
February 15, 1968 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Major Harris the West Virginia Mountaineer starting quarterback from 1987 through 1989 arrived into the world. The Football Foundation’s website bio on Major tells of how he was the first player in the history of the NCAA to pass for more than 5000 yards and use his legs for more than 2000 in a collegiate career. Harris led WVU to an undefeated season and a chance to play Notre Dame for the National Championship in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl. Major Harris was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.
TV SPORTS SATURDAY
| NBA | TIME ET | TV |
| NBA All-Star Saturday Night | 8:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| NHL | TIME ET | TV |
| Finland at Sweden | 1:00pm | ABC ESPN+ |
| United States at Canada | 8:00pm | ABC ESPN+ |
| MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Arkansas at Texas A&M | 12:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Miami (FL) at Pitt | 12:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| DePaul at Xavier | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Clemson at Florida State | 12:00pm | CW |
| St. Bonaventure at UMass | 12:00pm | NESN |
| Rice at Tulane | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Saint Joseph’s at George Mason | 12:30pm | USA |
| Bucknell at Lafayette | 1:00pm | Lafayette Sports |
| Wisconsin at Purdue | 1:00pm | CBS |
| Vanderbilt at Tennessee | 1:00pm | SECN |
| Saint Francis U at Central Connecticut | 1:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Colgate at Boston University | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Illinois State at Indiana State | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMass Lowell at New Hampshire | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMBC at Bryant | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Army West Point at Navy | 1:30pm | CBSSN |
| West Virginia at Baylor | 2:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Houston at Arizona | 2:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Georgetown at Butler | 2:00pm | FS1 |
| Virginia at Virginia Tech | 2:00pm | CW |
| Washington at Penn State | 2:00pm | BTN |
| Samford at Wofford | 2:00pm | ESPNU |
| Boston College at NC State | 2:00pm | ACCN |
| Hofstra at Hampton | 2:00pm | MNMT |
| Drexel at William & Mary | 2:00pm | MASN |
| Oral Roberts at North Dakota | 2:00pm | MidCo Sports 2 |
| Denver at North Dakota State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Charleston at North Carolina A&T | 2:00pm | WMYV |
| Fairleigh Dickinson at LIU | 2:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Chicago State at Le Moyne | 2:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Alabama State at UAPB | 2:00pm | SWACN |
| Northern Illinois at Ball State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Purdue Fort Wayne at Robert Morris | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Bowling Green at Buffalo | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| App State at Georgia State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Holy Cross at Lehigh | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| High Point at Winthrop | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Vermont at Maine | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Jacksonville at North Alabama | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Binghamton at NJIT | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Monmouth at Towson | 2:00pm | FloSports |
| UConn at Seton Hall | 2:30pm | FOX |
| Duquesne at Dayton | 2:30pm | USA |
| Miami (OH) at Western Michigan | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| James Madison at Coastal Carolina | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Miss at ULM | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas Tech at Oklahoma State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UCF at Colorado | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Presbyterian at Longwood | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Grand Canyon at UTA | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Lamar at East Texas A&M | 3:15pm | ESPN+ |
| Missouri at Georgia | 3:30pm | SECN |
| Stony Brook at Northeastern | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Mercyhurst at Stonehill | 3:30pm | NEC TV |
| Toledo at Eastern Michigan | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Kennesaw State at Sam Houston | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Stanford at Duke | 4:00pm | ABC |
| Cincinnati at Iowa State | 4:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Auburn at Alabama | 4:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Minnesota at USC | 4:00pm | BTN |
| East Carolina at Charlotte | 4:00pm | ESPNEWS |
| California at Georgia Tech | 4:00pm | ACCN |
| George Washington at Davidson | 4:00pm | FanDuel Sports South |
| Cal State Fullerton at CSU Bakersfield | 4:00pm | Spectrum |
| Wyoming at Colorado State | 4:00pm | MWN |
| Loyola Maryland at American | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Howard at Delaware State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Jacksonville State at Louisiana Tech | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Northern Arizona at Sacramento State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| La Salle at Rhode Island | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Queens at Eastern Kentucky | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Old Dominion at Georgia Southern | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas State at South Alabama | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Campbell at Delaware | 4:00pm | FloSports |
| Charleston Southern at UNC Asheville | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| North Florida at Central Arkansas | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Morehead State at Western Illinois | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UT Martin at Eastern Illinois | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Indiana at Lindenwood | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Tennessee State at SIUE | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Nicholls at Southeastern Louisiana | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UIW at A&M-Corpus Christi | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri | 4:45pm | ESPN+ |
| Cornell at Dartmouth | 5:00pm | NESN+ |
| FGCU at Lipscomb | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stetson at Austin Peay | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Northern Colorado at Portland State | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Pacific at Oregon State | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Alcorn State at Bethune-Cookman | 5:30pm | YouTube |
| Houston Christian at UTRGV | 5:30pm | ESPN+ |
| McNeese at New Orleans | 5:30pm | ESPN+ |
| North Carolina at Syracuse | 6:00pm | ESPN |
| Mississippi State at Ole Miss | 6:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| UTSA at Tulsa | 6:00pm | ESPNU |
| LSU at Oklahoma | 6:00pm | SECN |
| Wake Forest at SMU | 6:00pm | ACCN |
| Villanova at Providence | 6:00pm | CBSSN |
| Fordham at Richmond | 6:00pm | MNMT |
| Columbia at Harvard | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Penn at Brown | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| West Georgia at Bellarmine | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Idaho at Eastern Washington | 7:00pm | SWX |
| Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State | 7:00pm | YouTube |
| UNLV at Fresno State | 7:00pm | MWN |
| Belmont at Southern Illinois | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Akron at Central Michigan | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Gardner-Webb at USC Upstate | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Elon at UNCW | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Texas Southern at Grambling State | 7:30pm | SWACN |
| Michigan State at Illinois | 8:00pm | FOX |
| Kentucky at Texas | 8:00pm | ESPN |
| Troy at Arkansas State | 8:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Princeton at Yale | 8:00pm | ESPNU |
| Middle Tennessee at WKU | 8:00pm | CBSSN |
| Omaha at St. Thomas | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Marshall at Louisiana | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Santa Barbara at UC Riverside | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Cal Poly at CSUN | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Idaho State at Montana State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| TCU at Arizona State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Seattle U at Tarleton | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Carolina at Florida | 8:30pm | SECN |
| Utah Valley at Southern Utah | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Pepperdine at Gonzaga | 9:00pm | KHQ |
| Utah Tech at California Baptist | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Kansas State at BYU | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Weber State at Montana | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| FIU at NM State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Liberty at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Kansas at Utah | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| Washington State at Saint Mary’s | 10:00pm | ESPN2/U |
| Boise State at San Diego State | 10:00pm | CBSSN |
| UC Davis at UC San Diego | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| San Francisco at San Diego | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Loyola Marymount at Portland | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Irvine at Hawai’i | 11:59pm | Spectrum |
| NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Army West Point at Navy | 11:00am | CBSSN |
| Purdue at Indiana | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Georgetown at Creighton | 4:00pm | FS1 |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: Genesis Open | 1:00pm | GOLF |
| Champions Tour: Chubb Classic | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: Genesis Open | 3:00pm | CBS |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| EPL: Leicester City vs Arsenal | 7:30am | USA Peacock fuboTV |
| La Liga: Leganés vs Deportivo Alavés | 8:00am | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| Serie A: Atalanta vs Cagliari | 9:00am | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| Bundesliga: Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Union Berlin vs Borussia M’gladbach | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Stuttgart vs Wolfsburg | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: St. Pauli vs Freiburg | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| EPL: Fulham vs Nottingham Forest | 10:00am | USA Peacock fuboTV |
| EPL: Aston Villa vs Ipswich Town | 10:00am | Peacock fuboTV |
| EPL: Manchester City vs Newcastle United | 10:00am | Peacock fuboTV |
| EPL: Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth | 10:00am | Peacock fuboTV |
| EPL: West Ham United vs Brentford | 10:00am | Peacock fuboTV |
| La Liga: Osasuna vs Real Madrid | 10:15am | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| Ligue 1: Olympique Marseille vs Saint-Étienne | 11:00am | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Serie A: Lazio vs Napoli | 12:00pm | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| EPL: Crystal Palace vs Everton | 12:30pm | NBC Peacock fuboTV |
| La Liga: Atlético Madrid vs Celta de Vigo | 12:30pm | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern München | 12:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Ligue 1: Monaco vs Nantes | 1:00pm | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Serie A: Milan vs Hellas Verona | 2:45pm | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| La Liga: Villarreal vs Valencia | 3:00pm | ESPN+ fuboTV |
| Ligue 1: Toulouse vs PSG | 3:05pm | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Liga MX: Toluca vs Guadalajara | 10:10pm | VIX |
| SKIING | TIME ET | TV |
| FIS: Alpine World Championships | 3:00pm | NBC Peacock fuboTV |
| NCAA SOFTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Shriners Children’s Invitational: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma St. | 10:00am | ESPN2 |
| Shriners Children’s Invitational: Liberty vs. Missouri | 10:30am | SECN |
| Shriners Children’s Invitational: UCLA vs. Alabama | 4:00pm | ESPNU |